MEDITERRANEAN
by ravendarkholme23
Summary: She was a Greek. He was a Roman. In which, a pair of star-crossed demigods travel to Camp Jupiter with a warship and the other demigods of the prophecy. In which, Nerissa Jackson would die for Jason Grace, just like Jason Grace would die for her. {Heroes of Olympus} {Mark of Athena} {Jason Grace / OC} {COMPLETE}
1. ALPHA

_**ALPHA | EXTENDED SUMMARY AND CAST**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **IF YOU HAVE NOT READ** ** _ATLANTIC_** **,** **I ADVISE THAT YOU DO.** ** _MEDITERRANEAN_** **IS THE SECOND BOOK IN A SERIES.**

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Nerissa Jackson was the daughter of Poseidon and she was expected to be one of the best, to be able to conquer any fear and any enemy.

But the one fear she couldn't conquer was the fear of losing her family.

Of course, the possibility of getting her brother back was a very good incentive to losing all her fear and Nerissa _was_ going to get her brother back. She was willing to go to any length to do so, even if it meant facing off against angry Romans.

But if Riss knew Percy, he was probably doing just fine and leading the Romans.

After defeating the giant, Enceladus and rescuing Piper's father, Riss, along with Jason Grace, Annabeth Chase, Piper McLean and Leo Valdez, were the first five of the prophecy of the seven and were travelling to Ancient Greece. First, their job was to the Roman camp of demigods, a camp the Greek demigods had been separated from for centuries to avoid conflict.

Now, Nerissa is off to get her brother back on a ship called the _Argo II_ – and to probably kick his ass – and has to deal with one recurring problem affecting her heart. A problem named Jason Grace.

 **XXXXX**

 ** _"_** ** _The winds and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators."_**

 _Edward Gibbon_

 **XXXXX**

 ** _Barbara Palvin as Nerissa 'Riss' Jackson_**

 _[THE WARRIOR] [DAUGHTER OF POSIEDON]_

 ** _Logan Lerman as Perseus 'Percy' Jackson_**

 _[THE REBEL] [SON OF POSEIDON]_

 ** _Alexandra Daddario as Annabeth Chase_**

 _[THE GENIUS] [DAUGHTER OF ATHENA]_

 ** _Lucas Till as Jason Grace_**

 _[THE ROMAN] [SON OF JUPITER]_

 ** _Kelsey Chow as Piper McLean_**

 _[THE VOICE] [DAUGHTER OF APHRODITE]_

 ** _Jake T. Austin as Leo Valdez_**

 _[THE MECHANIC] [SON OF HEPHAESTUS]_

 ** _Kaya Scodelario as Thalia Grace_**

 _[THE HUNTER] [DAUGHTER OF ZEUS]_

 ** _Jane Levy as Rachel Elizabeth Dare_**

 _[THE ORACLE OF APOLLO]_

 ** _Douglas Smith as Tyson_**

 _[THE CYCLOPS] [SON OF POSIEDON]_

 ** _Amandla Stenberg as Hazel Levesque_**

 _[THE RETURNED] [DAUGHTER OF PLUTO]_

 ** _Booboo Stewart as Frank Zhang_**

 _[THE SHAPESHIFTER] [SON OF MARS]_

 ** _Jessica Clark as Reyna_**

 _[THE LEADER] [DAUGHTER OF BELLONA]_

 ** _Jack Gleeson as Octavian_**

 _[THE ROMAN ORACLE]_

 **XXXXX**

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 **Book Two, I'm freaking out.**

 **Please follow and favorite but most of all, review! Tell me what you think will happen in this book and even what you think of the cast list. The first update for this story will probably be this weekend, if I'm not drowning in shit I have to study for.**

 **ALSO, IMPORTANT: THIS MAY SOUND WEIRD BUT WHAT SOUNDS BETTER?:**

 **PACALIS;** PEACEFUL, PACIFIC, PEACEABLE

 **OR**

 **NECTO;** LINK, TIE, WEAVE, JOINT, INTERLACE

 **~ Raven**


	2. BETA

_**BETA | NERISSA JACKSON CHEERS AS ANNABETH CHASE KICKS PERCY JACKSON'S ASS**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **I AM THE ABSOLUTE WORST WHEN IT COMES TO STICKING TO A SCHEDULE, SO HERE'S CHAPTER ONE. THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** _ **TheBooksAreBetterThanTheMovies**_ **,** _ **Nuincalion Griffondor**_ **AND** ** _Guest_** **FOR REVIEWING THIS STORY ALREADY!**

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Riss was trying desperately to cover up her obvious nerves. Their travel to the Roman camp gave the girl a lot of time to freak out – Annabeth was similar, having not stopped pacing. Both Riss and Annabeth were constantly worrying – Riss more so – and questions swirled around her mind. What if Percy didn't remember? Was Percy even at the Roman camp? What if he had found a life there, similar to how Jason had?

 _Jason_.

The son of Jupiter had been absolutely _plaguing_ Riss' thoughts ever since they got back from their quest to free Hera at the Wolf House and she didn't know what to do. While Percy had had a brief relationship with Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the camp's oracle, and was now in a long-term relationship with Annabeth, Riss had not had a single relationship at all and her _apparent_ (as Piper told her) _love_ for Jason scared the living daylights out of the Jackson girl.

She truly felt very strongly for him but she wasn't sure if it was love yet.

It didn't help that Jason and Riss were always near each other, some unexplainable connection that pulled them to each other. Hand-holding, hugs and kissing each other had become the norm for them. Nerissa liked to think of it like a rip in the ocean: as soon as she got caught in it, she was dragged along for the ride, no matter how dangerous it was going to be.

Nerissa sharpened her sword in silence for a few minutes, before glancing up and carefully putting the long blade away. Jason stood at the bow on the raised crossbow platform, where the Romans could easily spot him. His knuckles were white on the hilt of his golden sword. Otherwise he looked calm for a guy who was making himself a target. Over his jeans and orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, he'd donned a toga and a purple cloak – symbols of his rank of praetor. Riss had already bet Annabeth twenty dollars that Percy had replaced Jason in the role and Travis was about to owe her five _drachmas_ if Riss was right. Annabeth didn't think so and boy, she was so going to lose.

With his wind-ruffled blonde hair and his icy blue eyes, Jason looked ruggedly handsome and in control – just like a son of Jupiter should. He'd grown up at Camp Jupiter, so hopefully his familiar face would make the Romans hesitant to blow the ship out of the sky. Riss was having enough trouble with being in the sky as it was _without_ being shot out of it by a cannonball or something.

Jason gave a brief start as Riss snuck up behind him and ran a calming hand up his back and into his hair. He relaxed immediately when he realised it was Riss and let out a low hum when Riss gently combed her fingers through his blonde strands and massaged at his scalp. While Leo had been building the _Argo II_ , Riss and Jason had begun to learn each other inside and out – the things that annoyed them and the things that made them feel calm, for starters. They had both discovered that the one surefire thing that would make them feel more comfortable was their proximity to each other – whenever they were close, Riss and Jason felt more at ease.

"Don't stress," Riss urged the boy gently, knowing that he would get so riled up he wouldn't be able to remain civil when speaking to the Romans. Gradually, Riss eased Jason's grip on his sword and held the Imperial gold in her hand. "Darling, relax."

Jason didn't say a word and just bent his neck, moving to kiss her. Their lips stayed locked for a few moments before the son of Jupiter rested his head back on Riss' shoulder. Piper watched from her spot between the mainmast and the ballistae, smiling fondly at the pair. She had never held it against Riss, although Piper had _really_ liked Jason and he was _technically_ her ex-boyfriend, Piper loved how open and free Jason and Riss were with each other.

Jason straightened as horns sounded and Riss moved her hand away from Jason's head. Ringed by the Oakland Hills, the valley was at least twice the size of Camp Half-Blood. A small river snaked around one side and curled towards the center like a capital letter _G_ , emptying into a sparkling blue lake. Directly below the ship, nestled at the edge of the lake, the city of New Rome gleamed in the sunlight.

"Water," Riss sighed dreamily. She hadn't been near any _real_ water sources on their journey – unless _clouds_ counted – and she tried to get rid of the urge to just jump over the side of the _Argo II_ and go for a swim.

Dozens of kids in togas were streaming out of the Senate House – the Romans' equivalent of the Big House – to get a better view of the _Argo II_. More Romans emerged from the shops and cafés in the unique camp, gawking.

Riss smiled lightly, "It looks like a _home_."

Jason smiled as well as Riss watched, transfixed by the amazing camp.

Then something went _BOOM!_ And an angry statue suddenly stood behind Annabeth and shrieked, " _Unacceptable_!"

Riss raised a brow and examined the statue. Apparently, he had exploded into existence, right there on the deck, almost sending Annabeth overboard. Sulfur-yellow smoke rolled off the statue's shoulder and cinders popped around his curly hair. From the waist down, he was nothing but a square marble pedestal and from the waist up, he was a human figure in a carved toga.

"I will _not_ have weapons inside the Pomerian Line!"

"Pomeranian?"

The statue continued speaking, despite looking like he had heard Riss' question before, "I _certainly_ will not have Greeks!"

" _Rude_."

Jason shot Annabeth a look and stepped forward, "Terminus. It's me. Jason Grace."

"Oh, I remember _you_ , Jason!" Terminus grumbled. "I thought you had better sense than to consort with the enemies of Rome."

Riss looked affronted and leveled Jason's sword at the statue's head, " _Enemies_!? That's it. He will only be a _pedestal_ in a minute!"

Jason looped his arm around the Jackson girl's waist and tugged her back into his chest, "But they're not enemies—"

"That's right," Piper jumped in. "We just want to talk. If we could—"

" _Ha_!" The statue snapped. "Don't try that charmspeak on _me_ , young lady. And put down that dagger before I slap it out of your hands!"

Piper glanced at her bronze dagger, which she'd apparently forgotten she was holding. "Um…okay. But how would you slap it? You don't have any arms."

"Impertinence!" There was a sharp _POP_ and a flash of yellow. Piper yelped and dropped the dagger, which was now smoking and sparking. Riss' eyes flashed and she struggled against Jason's arm to get at Terminus. The statue didn't seem to recognize how hostile Riss was at that moment and continued speaking, "Lucky for you I've just been through a battle. If I were at full strength, I would've blasted this flying monstrosity out of the sky already."

"Let me guess, you were used to _hit_ something in the face," Riss stated blankly, lips in a flat line. She scoffed lightly, leaning into Jason, "My ass you were in _battle_."

"Hold up," Leo stepped forward, wagging his Wii controller. "Did you just call my ship a _monstrosity_? I _know_ you didn't do that."

Leo looked about ready to attack Terminus, along with Riss, so Annabeth raised her hand, to show she had no weapons, "Let's all calm down. I take it you're Terminus, the god of boundaries. Jason told me you protect the city of New Rome, right? I'm Annabeth Chase, daughter of—"

"Oh, I know who _you_ are!" The statue glared at Annabeth and Riss growled low in her throat, pure rage flaring through her body and she struggled even more against Jason's strong grip. _No one_ dissed Annabeth Chase on Nerissa Jackson's watch. "A child of _Athena_ , Minerva's Greek form. Scandalous! You Greeks have no sense of decency. We Romans know the proper place for _that_ goddess."

" _Excuse me_!?" Riss snarled. "Who had Athena _first_!? You don't even _exist_ in Greek mythology, you good-for-nothing piece of marble! Back. Off."

Both Riss and the statue glared at each other steadily, about to tear each other apart. Annabeth clenched her jaw. Terminus was not being diplomatic and Riss was seriously not helping the situation. "What exactly do you mean ' _that_ goddess'? And what's so scandalous about—"

"Right!" Jason interrupted. His hand was over Riss' mouth, the girl still glaring daggers at Terminus. "Anyway, Terminus, we're here on a mission of peace. We'd love permission to land so we can—"

"Impossible!" The god squeaked. "Lay down your weapons and surrender! Leave my city immediately!"

"Which is it?" Leo asked. "Surrender or leave?"

"Both!" Terminus commanded. "Surrender, then leave. I am slapping your face for asking such a stupid question, you ridiculous boy! Do you feel that?"

Riss frowned, finding that Terminus was _absolutely insane_. All Nerissa wanted to do was to finally see Percy again and here she was, being held up by an armless piece of marble.

"Wow." Leo studied Terminus with a professional interest. "You're wound up pretty tight. You got any gears in there that need loosening? I could take a look." Leo put the Wii remote away, exchanging it for a screwdriver and tapping at the pedestal.

"Stop that!" Terminus insisted. Another small explosion made Leo drop his screwdriver. "Weapons are _not_ allowed on Roman soil inside the Pomerian Line."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"City limits," Jason translated.

"Lame. Why would you name your 'city limits' a word that sounds like a dog breed? A small, yappy dog, no less."

"And this entire ship is a weapon!" Terminus said. "You _cannot_ land!"

Down in the valley, the legion reinforcements were halfway to the city. The crowd in the forum was over a hundred strong now. Riss scanned the faces and…oh, gods. She saw him. He was walking toward the ship with his arms around two other kids like they were best buddies—a stout boy with a black buzz cut, and a girl wearing a Roman cavalry helmet. Percy looked so at ease, so happy. He wore a purple cape just like Jason's—the mark of a praetor.

Riss cursed, "Oh, Hades, I'm _so_ gonna kick his ass!"

Annabeth saw Percy too. "Let me at him first."

"Absolutely."

"Leo, stop the ship," Annabeth ordered, a plan in motion.

"What?"

"You heard me. Keep us right where we are."

Leo pulled out his controller and yanked it upward. All ninety oars froze in place. The ship stopped sinking.

"Terminus," Annabeth said, "there's no rule against hovering _over_ New Rome, is there?"

The statue frowned. "Well, no…"

"We can keep the ship aloft," the daughter of Athena said. "We'll use a rope ladder to reach the forum. That way, the ship won't be on Roman soil. Not technically."

The statue seemed to ponder this. Annabeth wondered if he was scratching his chin with imaginary hands. Riss was gripping Jason's hand like a lifeline, desperately hoping that the statue would agree.

"I like technicalities," Terminus admitted. "Still…"

"All our weapons will stay aboard the ship," Riss promised.

"I assume the Romans—even those reinforcements marching toward us—will also have to honor your rules inside the Pomerian Line if you tell them to?" Annabeth inquired, trying to keep the hopeful look off her face.

"Of course!" Terminus said. "Do I look like I tolerate rule breakers?"

"Uh, Annabeth…" Leo said. "You sure this is a good idea?"

Annabeth closed her fists to keep them from shaking. She _had_ to reach him. Riss seemed to have the same idea, despite being ready to run Terminus through, and had already flipped Jason's sword back into it's coin form, her jaw clenched tight. Jason's arm was still around her, keeping her close so that she didn't do anything stupid. There was a single recurring thought in her mind – _Perseus_ – and Riss wasn't going to let a piece of _rock_ stop her from getting to her brother.

"It'll be fine," the blonde said, making brief eye-contact with Riss. "No one will be armed. We can talk in peace. Terminus will make sure each side obeys the rules." She looked at the marble statue. "Do we have an agreement?"

Terminus sniffed. "I suppose. For now. You may climb down your ladder to New Rome, daughter of Athena. _Please_ try not to destroy my town."

Riss smirked. "No promises."

 **XXXXX**

A sea of hastily assembled demigods parted for Annabeth and Riss as they walked, side-by-side, through the forum. Some looked tense, some nervous. Some were bandaged from their recent battle with the giants but no one was armed. No one attacked. Entire families had gathered to see the newcomers. Annabeth saw couples with babies, toddlers clinging to their parents' legs, even some elderly folks in a combination of Roman robes and modern clothes. Riss' mouth had dropped open slightly in awe – _families_. There were families here, living as close to normal lives as they could. Were all of them demigods?

Annabeth suspected so, as did Riss, though she'd never seen a place like this. At Camp Half-Blood, most demigods were teens. If they survived long enough to graduate from high school, they either stayed on as counselors or left to start lives as best they could in the mortal world. Here, it was an entire multigenerational community.

"Percy would love to settle down here," Riss muttered, eyes wide in awe, and Annabeth tried to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. The daughter of Athena absolutely loved Percy and she knew he was the type of guy to want a family, a wife and children. Riss already considered the Chase girl as a sister, they just needed a little time and the right push in her eyes.

At the far end of the crowd, the two girls spotted Tyson the Cyclops and the Jackson twin's hellhound, Mrs O'Leary—who had been the first scouting party from Camp Half-Blood to reach Camp Jupiter. They looked to be in good spirits. Tyson waved and grinned, face brightening considerably at the sight of his sister. He was wearing an SPQR banner like a giant bib. Riss took one look at him and blew him a kiss, the Cyclops pretending to catch it.

Some part of Annabeth's mind registered how beautiful the city was—the smells from the bakeries, the gurgling fountains, the flowers blooming in the gardens. And the architecture…gods, the architecture—gilded marble columns, dazzling mosaics, monumental arches, and terraced villas.

Riss was a little more interested in the group in front of her. The demigods made way for a girl in full Roman armor and a purple cape and, unintentionally, Riss felt her spine lock in a defensive manner. Dark hair tumbled across her shoulders. Her eyes were as black as obsidian.

 _Reyna_.

Jason had described her well. Even without that, Nerissa would have singled her out as the leader. Medals decorated her armor. She carried herself with such confidence the other demigods backed away and averted their gaze.

Annabeth recognized something else in her face, too—in the hard set of her mouth and the deliberate way she raised her chin like she was ready to accept any challenge. Riss had a similar look about her but it was clear, Riss and Reyna were very different people.

Riss' eyes glowed a brilliant green, voice echoing quietly and Annabeth looked at her friend, " _Daughter of Bellona_."

Annabeth smiled gratefully at Riss, glad that she knew _something_ about the leader of the Roman camp. Reyna was forcing a look of courage, while holding back a mixture of hopefulness and worry and fear that she couldn't show in public. Annabeth knew that expression. She saw it every time she looked in a mirror. Riss had a look similar to Annabeth's serious expression on her face but her green eyes danced in mischief, much like Percy's always did, although she felt no mischief in that moment.

The three girls considered each other. Annabeth and Riss' friends fanned out on either side, Jason standing as close to Riss as possible. The Romans murmured Jason's name, staring at him in awe. Then someone else appeared from the crowd, and Annabeth's vision tunneled. Percy smiled at her—that sarcastic, troublemaker smile that had annoyed her for years but eventually had become endearing. His sea-green eyes were as gorgeous as she remembered. His dark hair was swept to one side, like he'd just come from a walk on the beach. He looked even better than he had six months ago—tanner and taller, leaner and more muscular.

Annabeth was too stunned to move, Riss too reluctant to. Annabeth felt that if she got any closer to him, all the molecules in her body might combust. She'd secretly had a crush on him since they were twelve years old – Riss had figured it out really quickly, joking that she saw a connection between the two the moment Annabeth and Percy met. Last summer, Annabeth had fallen for Percy hard and Riss had known that, the second it had happened too.

They'd been a happy couple for four months—and then he'd disappeared. During their separation, something had happened to Annabeth's feelings. They'd grown painfully intense—like she'd been forced to withdraw from a life-saving medication. Now she wasn't sure which was more excruciating— living with that horrible absence, or being with him again.

There was a silence. No one moved.

Jason nudged Riss in the back, pushing her forward and Riss stepped closer to her twin, reluctantly, but all she did was glare at him. Her back was straight, rigid with a strength she tried to maintain. The Romans shifted – the girl, who looked so much like their leader, looked truly menacing. Some of the Romans reached for their swords that weren't there.

"I _hate_ you," the Jackson girl growled lowly. The Romans shifted as the lake behind her began to rock, almost angrily. "So, _so_ much. Gods, if I had Nauticus, I'd _run you through_. I'd stab you in your smirking face, you bi—"

Percy seemed to be over the abuse and moved forward. He pressed a kiss to his sister's cheek, hugging her tightly. The second he did, Riss' resolve crumpled and her legs collapsed beneath her. Percy held her up, tears in his own eyes. Nerissa clung to Percy as she cried, sobs loud in the silence of the other demigods. They were twins, the connection between them far greater than Percy and Annabeth's bond and the Chase girl even shed a few tears as the Jackson twins reunited. Riss felt rejuvenated, like her energy was coming back to her. It truly was the 'twin thing.' But 'twin thing' or not, Riss would never let her brother out of her sight again.

"Perce. _Perseus_ ," Riss' knuckles were white, almost ripping Percy's toga. "You're here. You're _really_ here." Her sadness snapped to annoyance, "You dickhead!"

Percy chuckled at his sister's mood swings. "I'm never leaving again, Nerissa."

"You better not," Riss threatened and she retreated shakily. She scrubbed at her face, wiping away her tears. "I don't think I would survive without you."

Percy cracked a watery grin, "I don't think I would survive without you, either."

"You _definitely_ wouldn't," Riss teased and then she sniffling, a few stray tears slipping down her cheeks.

Riss barely cried but this was certainly the time to. She moved back completely now and Jason turned her to him slightly, wiping away her tears in a far too intimate manner for friends, something that Percy noticed. He pulled her close to him in a hug, one that Riss gladly returned. Both Reyna and Percy glared at Jason – Percy evaluating the Grace boy in the way only older brothers could, Reyna in an entirely jealous manner – but the Grace boy was too busy stroking Riss' face and pressing kisses into her ebony hair to notice.

The praetor Reyna straightened. With apparent reluctance, she turned toward Jason, who didn't even glance up from comforting Riss. "Jason Grace, my former colleague…" She spoke the word _colleague_ like it was a dangerous thing. "I welcome you home. And these, your friends—"

Annabeth didn't mean to but she surged forward. Riss had reunited with Percy, now it was her turn. Percy rushed toward her at the same time. The crowd tensed. Some reached for swords that weren't there again. Percy threw his arms around her. They kissed, and for a moment nothing else mattered. An asteroid could have hit the planet and wiped out all life, and Annabeth wouldn't have cared. Percy smelled of ocean air. His lips were salty. _Seaweed Brain_ , she thought giddily. Riss laughed through her tears, moving her face away from Jason's shoulder to watch, just _waiting_ for her brother get his ass kicked by his girlfriend.

Percy pulled away and studied her face. "Gods, I never thought—

Annabeth grabbed his wrist and flipped him over her shoulder. He slammed into the stone pavement. Romans cried out. Riss hooted in appreciation of Annabeth's technique. Some of the Romans surged forward, but Reyna shouted, "Hold! Stand down!"

Annabeth put her knee on Percy's chest. She pushed her forearm against his throat. She didn't care what the Romans thought. A white-hot lump of anger expanded in her chest—a tumor of worry and bitterness that she'd been carrying around since last autumn.

"If you _ever_ leave me again," she said, her eyes stinging, "I swear to all the gods—"

"Kick his ass, Annie! The little shit deserves it!"

Percy had the nerve to laugh, winking at his sister. Suddenly the lump of heated emotions melted inside Annabeth.

"Consider me warned," Percy said. "I missed you, too."

Annabeth rose and helped him to his feet. She wanted to kiss him again _so_ badly, but she managed to restrain herself.

Jason cleared his throat. "So, yeah…It's good to be back."

He introduced Reyna to Piper, who looked a little miffed that she hadn't gotten to say the lines she'd been practicing, then to Leo, who grinned and flashed a peace sign and finally to Riss, a look of adoration in his eyes as his lips shaped her full name and Riss raised her chin in a sharp nod. Reyna looked more closely at Riss, like she was trying to stare deep enough to see something she couldn't see on the surface.

"And this is Annabeth," Jason said, gesturing to the daughter of Athena. "Uh, normally she doesn't judo-flip people."

Reyna's eyes sparkled. "You sure you're not a Roman, Annabeth? Or an Amazon?"

Annabeth didn't know if that was a compliment, but she held out her hand. "I only attack my boyfriend like that," she promised.

"Pleased to meet you." Reyna clasped her hand firmly. "It seems we have a lot to discuss. Centurions!"

A few of the Roman campers hustled forward—apparently the senior officers. Two kids appeared at Percy's side, the same ones Riss and Annabeth had seen him chumming around with earlier. The burly Asian guy with the buzz cut was about fifteen. He was cute in a sort of oversized-cuddly-panda-bear way. The girl was younger, maybe thirteen, with amber eyes and chocolate skin and long curly hair. Her cavalry helmet was tucked under her arm. Annabeth could tell from their body language that they felt close to Percy.

They stood next to him protectively, like they'd already shared many adventures. She fought down a twinge of jealousy. Was it possible Percy and this girl…no. Riss confirmed that by rolling her eyes and kicking Annabeth in the shin, telling her, "Tone it down, Annie."

Annabeth blushed ever-so-slightly and reassessed. The chemistry between the three of them wasn't like that. Annabeth had spent her whole life learning to read people. It was a survival skill. If she had to guess, she'd say the big Asian guy was the girl's boyfriend, though she suspected they hadn't been together long. There was one thing she didn't understand: what was the girl staring at? She kept frowning in Piper and Leo's direction, like she recognized one of them and the memory was painful.

Meanwhile, Reyna was giving orders to her officers. "…tell the legion to stand down. Dakota, alert the spirits in the kitchen. Tell them to prepare a welcome feast. And, Octavian—"

"You're letting these intruders into the _camp_?" A tall guy with stringy blond hair elbowed his way forward. "Reyna, the security risks—"

"We're not taking them to the camp, Octavian." Reyna flashed him a stern look. "We'll eat here, in the forum."

"Oh, _much_ better," Octavian grumbled. He seemed to be the only one who didn't defer to Reyna as his superior, despite the fact that he was scrawny and pale and for some reason had three teddy bears hanging from his belt. "You want us to relax in the shadow of their warship."

"Do you often disrespect those more powerful than you?" Riss asked sternly, green eyes narrowed on Octavian. "Reyna appears to be the best leader for this camp and surely better than you. I advise you to remember that."

The boy sputtered and looked away, Reyna shooting Riss an appreciative look that seemed to pain her in some way.

"These are our guests." Reyna clipped off every word. "We will welcome them, and we will talk to them. As augur, you should burn an offering to thank the gods for bringing Jason back to us safely."

"Good idea," Percy put in. "Go burn your bears, Octavian."

Riss snickered and fist-bumped her brother, the pair not even having to look at each other to do it, like it was an instinct.

Reyna even looked like she was trying not to smile. "You have my orders. Go."

The officers dispersed. Octavian shot Percy a look of absolute loathing. Then he gave Annabeth a suspicious onceover and received an obscene hand gesture from Nerissa in return. Octavian stalked away and Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's.

"Don't worry about Octavian," he said. "Most of the Romans are good people—like Frank and Hazel here, and Reyna. We'll be fine."

Annabeth looked up at the _Argo II_. Its massive bronze hull glittered in the sunlight. Part of her wanted to kidnap Percy right now, climb on board, and get out of here while they still could. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go terribly wrong. And there was no way she would ever risk losing Percy again.

"Hope so," Riss shrugged. "I don't want to have to kill him – his big head might roll off and crush a few teddy bears. That would be a _true_ tragedy."

"We'll be fine," Annabeth repeated, cracking a small smile at Riss and trying to believe it.

"Excellent," Reyna said. She turned to Jason and Annabeth thought there was a hungry sort of gleam in her eyes. "Let's talk, and we can have a proper reunion."

 **XXXXX**

Sets of couches and low tables were carted into the forum until it resembled a furniture showroom. Romans lounged in groups of ten or twenty, talking and laughing while wind spirits— _aurae_ —swirled overhead, bringing an endless assortment of pizzas, sandwiches, chips, cold drinks, and fresh-baked cookies. Drifting through the crowd were purple ghosts—Lares—in togas and legionnaire armor. Around the edges of the feast, fauns trotted from table to table, panhandling for food and spare change.

In the nearby fields, the war elephant frolicked with Mrs O'Leary and children played tag around the statues of Terminus that lined the city limits. The whole scene was so familiar yet so completely alien that it gave Annabeth vertigo. All she wanted to do was be with Percy—preferably alone. She knew she would have to wait. If their quest was going to succeed, they needed these Romans, which meant getting to know them and building some goodwill. Reyna and a few of her officers (including the blond kid Octavian, freshly back from burning a teddy bear for the gods) sat with Annabeth and her crew.

Percy joined them with his two new friends, Frank and Hazel. As a tornado of food platters settled onto the table, Percy leaned over and whispered, "I want to show you around New Rome. Just you and me. The place is incredible."

Annabeth should've felt thrilled. ' _Just you and me_ ' was exactly what she wanted. Instead, resentment swelled in her throat. How could Percy talk so enthusiastically about this place? What about Camp Half-Blood— _their camp_ , _their home_? Annabeth knew Riss felt the same because she was staring at the new marks on Percy's forearm—an SPQR tattoo like Jason's. Riss was beside Jason, their hands connected under the table, hidden from view, and she occasionally looked down at her right forearm, the one with the trident tattoo that matched Percy's, with sadness. In the Jackson girl's mind, Percy wasn't _just_ the son of Poseidon now, he also had a duty to be the son of _Neptune_ too.

At Camp Half-Blood, demigods got bead necklaces to commemorate years of training. Here, the Romans burned a tattoo into your flesh, as if to say: _You belong to us_. _Permanently_.

Annabeth swallowed back some biting comments. "Okay. Sure."

"I've been thinking," he said nervously. "I had this idea—"

Riss closed her eyes briefly, knowing exactly what Percy was about to say. This camp was a safe haven, a place for _families_ and for those who wanted to stop hiding from monsters and actually _live._ Even at sixteen, Riss knew her brother was a family-orientated man and hoped for more than just a home at Camp Half-Blood. Camp Jupiter, for Percy, could allow Annabeth to go to university, to see more and maybe, just maybe, settle down with him.

" _Stop_ , _Perseus_."

Percy looked at his sister, who pursed her lips, and he opened his mouth to speak. He closed it as Reyna called a toast to friendship. After introductions all around, the Romans and Annabeth's crew began exchanging stories. Jason explained how he'd arrived at Camp Half-Blood without his memory, and how he'd gone on a quest with Riss, Piper and Leo to rescue the goddess Hera (or Juno, take your pick—she was equally annoying in Greek or Roman) from imprisonment at the Wolf House in northern California.

"Impossible!" Octavian broke in. "That's our most sacred place. If the giants had imprisoned a goddess there—"

"They would've destroyed her," Piper said. "And blamed it on the Greeks, and started a war between the camps. Now, be quiet and let Jason finish."

Octavian opened his mouth but no sound came out because of Piper's charmspeak. Still, Riss gave the augur a warning glance, " _Enough_."

Annabeth really loved Piper's charmspeak and how Riss was just almost naturally threatening around people she didn't trust. Although unable to speak, Octavian still snapped his mouth shut and Jason lifted his and Riss' joined hands to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss to the back of Riss' hand. Percy smiled slightly and Riss let out a breath, letting herself show exactly how exhausted she felt. Annabeth noticed Reyna looking back and forth between Jason and Riss, her brow creased, as if just beginning to realize the two of them were a couple. Or, _almost_ a couple, if only the two could admit that with all the flirting, comforting touches and kisses led to the fact that they belonged together as _boyfriend_ and _girlfriend_.

But neither seemed to like labels.

"So," Jason continued, "that's how we found out about the earth goddess Gaea. She's still half asleep, but she's the one freeing the monsters from Tartarus and raising the giants. Porphyrion, the big leader dude we fought at the Wolf House: he said he was retreating to the ancient lands—Greece itself. He plans on awakening Gaea and destroying the gods by…what did he call it?"

" _Pulling their roots_ ," Riss supplied, fingers back to brushing over Jason's tattoo.

Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Gaea's been busy over here, too. We had our own encounter with Queen Dirt Face."

"Shit, huh?" Riss asked casually, not caring about what might happen to her if she insulted Gaea.

Percy smirked with a nod and recounted his side of the story. He talked about waking up at the Wolf House with no memories except for one name— _Annabeth_. When she heard that, Annabeth had to try hard not to cry.

Percy also explained how he began to remember his sister as he travelled and occasionally saw her when he was running from Medusa's sisters – the times that she tried to Iris-message Percy, Riss realised. Percy told them how he'd traveled to Alaska with Frank and Hazel—how they'd defeated the giant Alcyoneus, freed the death god Thanatos, and returned with the lost golden eagle standard of the Roman camp to repel an attack by the giants' army.

When Percy had finished, Jason whistled appreciatively. "No wonder they made you praetor."

Octavian snorted. "Which means we now have _three_ praetors! The rules clearly state we can only have two!"

"On the bright side," Percy said, "both Jason _and_ I outrank you, Octavian. So we can _both_ tell you to shut up."

Octavian turned as purple as a Roman T-shirt. Jason gave Percy a fist bump.

Riss laughed, giving her brother a high-five. "Nice, bro. Hmm, speaking of praetor," Riss smirked and spun around to Annabeth, who groaned, "you and Travis owe me money."

Even Reyna managed a smile, though her eyes were stormy. "We'll have to figure out the extra praetor problem later," she said. "Right now we have more serious issues to deal with."

"No problem but this praetor drama won't take long," Riss assured the daughter of Bellona, smiling lightly. "Perce already has a plan."

"Exactly, Neri. I'll step aside for Jason," Percy said easily and Riss smiled widely at her other nickname, the one only her brothers, mother and, occasionally, her father used. "It's no biggie."

"No _biggie_?" Octavian choked. "The praetorship of Rome is _no biggie_?"

Percy ignored him and turned to Jason. "You're Thalia Grace's brother, huh? Wow. You guys look nothing alike."

"Pinecone Face says 'hi, Seaweed Brain,' by the way."

" _Oh_ ," Percy cooed, grinning like he knew he could hold this over the spunky daughter of Zeus. "She _missed_ me."

"Yeah, I noticed," Jason said, answering Percy about his appearance comment. "Anyway, thanks for helping my camp while I was gone. You did an awesome job."

"Back at you," Percy said.

" _Cute_ ," Riss drawled, eyeing her twin brother and the blonde boy beside her. "You're bonding. I should get a camera."

Annabeth kicked Percy's shin. She hated to interrupt a budding bromance, but Reyna was right: they had serious things to discuss. "We should talk about the Great Prophecy. It sounds like the Romans are aware of it too?"

Reyna nodded. "We call it the Prophecy of Seven. Octavian, you have it committed to memory?"

"Of course," he said. "But, Reyna—"

"Recite it, please. In English, not Latin." Octavian sighed. " _Seven half-blood shall answer the call. To storm or fire the world must fall_ —"

" _An oath to keep with a final breath_ ," Riss said, staring straight ahead as her eyes glowed bright green. The gods were using her again, back locked straight and lips curving around the words with a memorized grace. " _And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death._ " Riss crumbled and her head would've hit the table if not for Jason catching her.

Everyone stared at her—except for Leo, who had constructed a pinwheel out of aluminum foil taco wrappers and was sticking it into passing wind spirits. Riss wasn't sure why she had blurted out the lines of the prophecy. She'd just felt compelled to, the gods _ordering_ her to.

Riss rubbed at her head, feeling a headache start to form and blinked quickly, trying to get rid of the black dots dancing in her vision. "Shit!"

"They still talk to you," Percy asked, placing his hand on Riss' shoulder in worry.

" _No_ ," Riss sneered angrily. She slammed her fist down on her knee and water jumped from cups in other demigods' hands. She shook her head, "They talk _through_ me. Freaking high-jackers…"

The big kid, Frank, sat forward, staring at her in fascination, as if she'd grown a third eye. "Is it true you're a child of Nep—I mean, Poseidon?"

" _Yes_ ," she ground out, suddenly feeling defensive, knowing that it was odd that a child of the sea spouted prophecies.

"Why is that such a surprise?" Annabeth demanded, just as defensively.

Octavian scoffed. "If you're truly a child of the _wisdom_ goddess—"

"Enough," Reyna snapped. "Annabeth is what she says. As is Nerissa. They are here in peace. Besides…" She gave Annabeth a look of grudging respect, although she didn't spare a glance at Riss. "Percy has spoken highly of you."

The undertones in Reyna's voice took Annabeth a moment to decipher. Percy looked down, suddenly interested in his cheeseburger. Riss tried to smother a bubble of laughter and shook her head. Annabeth's face felt hot. Oh, gods…Reyna had tried to make a move on Percy. That explained the tinge of bitterness, maybe even envy, in her words. Percy had turned her down for Annabeth. At that moment, Annabeth forgave her ridiculous boyfriend for everything he'd ever done wrong. She wanted to throw her arms around him, but she commanded herself to stay cool.

"Uh, thanks," she told Reyna. "At any rate, some of the prophecy is becoming clear. Foes bearing arms to the Doors of Death…that means Romans and Greeks. We have to combine forces to find those doors."

Hazel, the girl with the cavalry helmet and the long curly hair, picked up something next to her plate. It looked like a large ruby; but before Annabeth could be sure, Hazel slipped it into the pocket of her denim shirt.

"My brother, Nico, went looking for the doors," she said.

"Nico?" Riss asked hopefully. She truly adored the young son of Hades, finding his blunt honesty so refreshing. She let out a breath and closed her eyes, tilting her head to the sky. "Oh, thank the gods, he's still alive."

"Wait," Annabeth said. "Nico di Angelo? He's your brother?" Hazel nodded as if this were obvious. A dozen more questions crowded into Annabeth's head, but it was already spinning like Leo's pinwheel. She decided to let the matter go. "Okay. You were saying?"

"He disappeared." Hazel moistened her lips. "I'm afraid…I'm not sure, but I think something's happened to him."

"We'll look for him," Percy promised both Hazel _and_ Riss, having seen his twin's shoulders droop. "We have to find the Doors of Death anyway. Thanatos told us we'd find both answers in Rome—like, the _original_ Rome. That's on the way to Greece, right?"

"Thanatos told you this?" Annabeth tried to wrap her mind around _that_ idea. "The death god?"

"Was he nicer than Uncle Hades?"

"Definitely." Percy took a bite of his burger. "Now that Death is free, monsters will disintegrate and return to Tartarus again like they used to. But as long as the Doors of Death are open, they'll just keep coming back."

Piper twisted the feather in her hair. "Like water leaking through a dam," she suggested.

"Yeah." Percy smiled. "We've got a dam hole."

Riss smiled, shaking her head playfully. She flicked her fingers at her brother, "You know that Annie made a _dam_ salad bar in Olympus. I swear Rachel's in love with it."

Percy's eyes widened, "Is there a dam snack bar too?"

Annabeth nudged her boyfriend and shot Riss a look. Everyone else looked really confused.

"What?" Piper asked.

"Nothing," Percy said. "Inside joke. The point is we'll have to find the doors and close them before we can head to Greece. It's the only way we'll stand a chance of defeating the giants and making sure they _stay_ defeated."

A pair of matching sea-green eyes met and Riss smirked, "Kicking the asses of a few giants sounds like a _heap_ of fun."

 **XXXXX**

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 **I am such a dweeb, I really love this story and I've only written three chapters on it.**

 **I thought that maybe Riss should kick Percy's butt but I decided against it, cause Annabeth bashing him up was too funny to pass up. Next chapter includes tsunamis, stressful conversations about death and unconscious almost-boyfriends. Enjoy.**

 **I'm aiming for this series to be four books (Atlantic, Mediterranean, Arctic and Pacific) and I'm really hoping that I can stay dedicated to the series. Cross your fingers! I love Riss too much to give up anyway, I think.**

 **FIVE REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

 **~ Raven**


	3. GAMMA

_**GAMMA | FIGHTS WITH THE CHILDREN OF POSEIDON RESULT IN TSUNAMIS**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Esther77_ , ****_gia1113_ ,** ** _Rose1414_ , _Sakurablossom125_ , _yasminasfeir1_ , _NicoleR85_ , _Butterfly007_ , _Imprisoned Wings_ , _Waverley Grace_ , _DaughterofWar03_ , _Madhatterpotterhead_ , _Nyte,_ _Spunky89, Arianna Le Fay,_** _ **Agazeamongstthestars**_ **AND** ** _Guest_** **FOR REVIEWING! I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY THE SUPPORT I RECEIVED FOR THIS STORY!**

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 ** _gia1113:_** _Thank you for the help! Spoilers: '_ _Pacalis Necto' will have a very important role in later chapters!_

 _ **Imprisoned Wings:** Riss can FEEL what Percy feels and receives scratches and cuts but she doesn't have the Roman burns. I will explain more why later on, it's going to be a small plot twist._

 ** _DaughterofWar03:_** _I really like Leo and Calypso together, I think it's sweet, so Piper may have an OC. Is that what you meant?_

 ** _Arianna Le Fay:_** _Soon! I am going to enjoy writing that chapter so damn much!_

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Reyna plucked an apple from a passing fruit tray. She turned it in her fingers, studying the dark red surface. "You propose an expedition to Greece in your warship. You do realize that the ancient lands—and the Mare Nostrum—are dangerous?"

"Mary who?" Leo asked.

"Mare Nostrum," Jason explained. " _Our sea_. It's what the Ancient Romans called the Mediterranean."

Reyna nodded. "The territory that was once the Roman Empire is not only the birthplace of the gods. It's also the ancestral home of the monsters, Titans and giants…and worse things. As dangerous as travel is for demigods here in America, _there_ it would be ten times worse."

"You said Alaska would be bad," Percy reminded her. "We survived that."

Reyna shook her head. Her fingernails cut little crescents into the apple as she turned it. "Percy, traveling in the Mediterranean is a different level of danger altogether. It's been off limits to Roman demigods for centuries. No hero in his right mind would go there."

"Then we're good!" Leo grinned over the top of his pinwheel. "Because we're all crazy, right? Besides, the _Argo II_ is a top-of-the-line warship. She'll get us through."

"We'll have to hurry," Jason added. "I don't know exactly what the giants are planning, but Gaea is growing more conscious all the time. She's invading dreams, appearing in weird places, summoning more and more powerful monsters. We have to stop the giants before they can wake her up fully."

Annabeth shuddered. She'd had her own share of nightmares lately. " _Seven half-bloods must answer the call_ ," she said. "It needs to be a mix from both our camps. Riss?"

Riss nodded, eyes glowing slightly, "It's the same as what I predicted before. Jason, Piper, Leo, you, Percy and I. Now, Hazel and Frank as well. That's the seven."

"What?" Octavian shot to his feet. "We're just supposed to _accept_ that? Without a vote in the senate? Without a proper debate? Without—" The blonde stopped, "That's also _eight_."

Riss made a ' _no duh_ ' face at Octavian's smug smile, " _Oh, wow, really_? Percy and I are _twins_ , dumbass, it means we count as _one person_ on a quest."

"We've done it before," Percy agreed. "We also have no idea why it works."

Octavian sat back down as Riss' glowing eyes narrowed menacingly at him and he gulped.

"Percy! Neri!" Tyson the Cyclops bounded toward them with Mrs O'Leary at his heels. On the hellhound's back sat the skinniest harpy Annabeth had ever seen—a sickly-looking girl with stringy red hair, a sackcloth dress, and red-feathered wings. Annabeth didn't know where the harpy had come from, but her heart warmed to see Tyson in his tattered flannel and denim with the backward SPQR banner across his chest. She'd had some pretty bad experiences with Cyclopes, but Tyson was a sweetheart.

"Ty!" Riss was off the seat in a second and was in Tyson's arms, the half-siblings hugging. "I've missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Neri." Tyson gently placed Riss down and wrung his meaty hands. His big brown eye was full of concern. "Ella is scared," he said.

Riss turned to the harpy, who she assumed was Ella and gently looked at her, "Honey, what's wrong?"

"N-n-no more boats," the harpy muttered to herself, picking furiously at her feathers. " _Titanic_ , _Lusitania_ , _Pax_ …boats are not for harpies."

Leo squinted. He looked at Hazel, who was seated next to him. "Did that chicken girl just compare _my_ ship to the _Titanic_?"

" _Leo_ ," Riss scolded lightly and ran a comforting hand down the harpy's arm. "It's okay. You don't need to go on Leo's big, bad Titanic."

"She's not a chicken." Hazel averted her eyes, as if Leo made her nervous. "Ella's a harpy. She's just a little…high-strung."

"Ella is pretty," Tyson said. "And scared. We need to take her away, but she will not go on the ship."

"No ships," Ella repeated. She looked straight at Annabeth. "Bad luck. There she is. _Wisdom's daughter walks alone_ —"

"Ella!" Frank stood suddenly. "Maybe it's not the best time—"

" _The Mark of Athena burns through Rome_ ," Ella continued, cupping her hands over her ears and raising her voice. " _Twins snuff out the angel's breath / Who holds the key to endless death_. _Giants' bane stands gold and pale / Won through pain from a woven jail_."

The effect was like someone dropping a flash grenade on the table. Everyone stared at the harpy. No one spoke. Annabeth's heart was pounding. _The Mark of Athena_ … She resisted the urge to check her pocket, but she could feel the silver coin growing warmer—the cursed gift from her mother. _Follow the Mark of Athena. Avenge me_.

Around them, the sounds of the feast continued, but muted and distant, as if their little cluster of couches had slipped into a quieter dimension. Riss was standing still, spine dead-straight and a blank look on her face. Her head was pounding, cold rushing through her body. The message she'd taken for Athena…Percy was the first to recover. He stood, gently pushed Riss back to Jason, who sat her down and wrapped her in his arms, and took Tyson's arm.

"I know!" he said with feigned enthusiasm. "How about you take Ella to get some fresh air? You and Mrs O'Leary—"

"Hold on." Octavian gripped one of his teddy bears, strangling it with shaking hands. His eyes fixed on Ella. "What was that she said? It sounded like—"

"Ella reads a lot," Frank blurted out. "We found her at a library."

"Yes!" Hazel said. "Probably just something she read in a book."

"Books," Ella muttered helpfully. "Ella likes books."

Now that she'd said her piece, the harpy seemed more relaxed. She sat cross-legged on Mrs O'Leary's back, preening her wings. Annabeth gave Percy a curious glance. Obviously, he and Frank and Hazel were hiding something. Riss already looked like she was piecing thinks together. Percy's expression said, _Help_.

"That was a prophecy," Octavian insisted. "It sounded like a prophecy."

No one answered, so Riss did, snapping out of her frozen state, "Yes and 'Octavian,' sounds like 'idiot who doesn't know what in the Underworld he's talking about.' See? Lots of things sound similar."

Annabeth didn't need to force a laugh, laughing genuinely at Riss' words, "Really, Octavian? Maybe harpies are different here, on the Roman side. Ours have just enough intelligence to clean cabins and cook lunches. Do yours usually foretell the future? Do you consult them for your auguries?"

Her words had the intended effect. The Roman officers laughed nervously. Some sized up Ella, then looked at Octavian and snorted. The idea of a chicken lady issuing prophecies was apparently just as ridiculous to Romans as it was to Greeks. Riss and Annabeth shared a look, a grateful one that made them breathe out in unison.

"I, uh…" Octavian dropped his teddy bear. "No, but—"

"She's just spouting lines from some book," Annabeth said, "like Hazel suggested. Besides, we already have a _real_ prophecy to worry about." She turned to Tyson. "Percy's right. Why don't you take Ella and Mrs O'Leary and shadow-travel somewhere for a while? Is Ella okay with that?"

"'Large dogs are good,'" Ella said. " _Old Yeller_ , 1957, screenplay by Fred Gipson and William Tunberg."

Annabeth wasn't sure how to take that answer but Percy smiled like the problem was solved.

"Great!" Percy said. "We'll Iris-message you guys when we're done and catch up with you later."

The Romans looked at Reyna, waiting for her ruling. Annabeth held her breath. Reyna had an excellent poker face. She studied Ella.

"Fine," the praetor said at last. "Go."

"Yay!" Tyson went around the couches and gave everyone a big hug—even Octavian, who didn't look happy about it.

Riss hugged her brother, "Be careful, darling and look after your girl." The Jackson girl winked and the Cyclops glanced between his sister and the harpy, blushing. The daughter of Poseidon reached out to pat Mrs O'Leary's nose, "We'll go shadow-traveling later, girl. I promise."

Tyson nodded after a moment and then he climbed on Mrs O'Leary's back with Ella, and the hellhound bounded out of the forum. They dove straight into a shadow on the Senate House wall and disappeared.

"Well." Reyna set down her uneaten apple. "Octavian is right about one thing. We must gain the senate's approval before we let any of our legionnaires go on a quest—especially one as dangerous as you're suggesting."

"This whole thing smells of treachery," Octavian grumbled. "That trireme is not a ship of peace!"

Riss curled her lip up at the augur and seriously questioned how Percy had avoided stabbing the little shit in the face.

"Come aboard, man," Leo offered. "I'll give you a tour. You can steer the boat, and if you're really good I'll give you a little paper captain's hat to wear."

Riss smiled innocently, "There's one in my room. I made it for you, Leo."

"So nice of you," Leo placed a hand over his heart, acting like he was touched by the gift. "You're just so nice to me, Riss. But I think Octavian deserves this hat a little more."

"I agree. He's just so… _precious_."

Octavian's nostrils flared. "How dare you—"

"It's a good idea," Reyna said. "Octavian, go with him. See the ship. We'll convene a senate meeting in one hour."

"But…" Octavian stopped. Apparently he could tell from Reyna's expression that further arguing would not be good for his health. "Fine."

Leo got up. He turned to Annabeth, and his smile changed. It happened so quickly, Annabeth thought she'd imagined it; but just for a moment someone else seemed to be standing in Leo's place, smiling coldly with a cruel light in his eyes. Then Annabeth blinked, and Leo was just regular old Leo again, with his usual impish grin.

"Back soon," he promised. "This is gonna be epic."

The Jackson girl met Annabeth's eyes, "Did you see that?"

Annabeth nodded, feeling a chill run down her spine.

"Uh, Reyna," Jason said, "if you don't mind, I'd like to show Riss around before the senate meeting. She's never seen New Rome."

Reyna's expression hardened. Annabeth wondered how Jason could be so dense. Was it possible he really didn't understand how much Reyna liked him? It was obvious enough to Annabeth. Asking to show his new almost-girlfriend around Reyna's city was rubbing salt in a wound. Riss saw it and tried to shake her head, to say no but Reyna was already answering.

"Of course," Reyna said coldly.

Percy took Annabeth's hand. "Yeah, me too. I'd like to show Annabeth—"

"No," Reyna snapped.

Percy knit his eyebrows. "Sorry?"

"I'd like a few words with Annabeth," Reyna said. "Alone. If you don't mind, my fellow praetor."

Her tone made it clear she wasn't really asking permission. The chill spread down Annabeth's back. She wondered what Reyna was up to. Maybe the praetor didn't like the idea of _two_ guys who had rejected her giving their girlfriends tours of her city. Or maybe there was something she wanted to say in private. Either way, Annabeth was reluctant to be alone and unarmed with the Roman leader.

Riss straightened her spine, "I'm sorry, Jase but I can't see New Rome right now either. Uh, take Piper." She met her twin's eyes, "I need to speak to Percy. _Alone_."

Jason looked thrown for a minute, almost like he wanted to beg Riss not to leave his side but he finally nodded. He took her hand as she stood and pulled her down to peck her lips. Riss kissed him back and pulled away, placing her hand on his cheek, "I'll be back soon. Go, reacquaint yourself."

Percy's mouth dropped open. Jason stared up at Riss with a dreamy smile, nodding softly. Riss smiled back before fixing her sea-green eyes on her brother's matching ones. Piper stared at Riss for a long moment, confused, before she nodded too. Obviously this was something important or she wouldn't have turned down the chance to be with Jason.

"Uh, okay," Percy agreed and he smiled at Annabeth, who still looked nervous.

"Come, daughter of Athena." Reyna rose from her couch. "Walk with me."

 **XXXXX**

"You're not going."

"Excuse me?" Percy asked, brows nearly reaching his hairline.

Riss folded her arms, looking remarkably like Sally Jackson in that moment. "You heard me."

The twins had exited the forum and were currently engaged in a very heated argument. Riss was scared – terrified, really – at the possibility of losing her brother and to protect him, she was trying to get him to stay at Camp Jupiter. If he was at the Roman camp, there would be a lesser chance of him disappearing or getting hurt.

Percy narrowed his eyes, the ones that matched his sister's perfectly. "I'm older, Neri. You can't order me around."

"Oh, yeah? Try me."

The Jackson boy lowered his gaze and scuffed at the ground. Riss' glare was always more intimidating then his. And she looked so much like their mom it was unnerving. Percy always was a momma's boy.

"Fine but," he tried a different tactic, "what about the prophecy? It says _seven_."

Riss lifted a brow. Percy had never cared about that before. "Yes and there are eight. Besides, I have a plan."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

They were silent for a few moments. Riss was determined to keep her brother and Annabeth safe, even it meant being separated from each other.

"Tell me."

"Fine," Riss huffed out a breath. "You and Annabeth will stay here. To make the seven, I'm going to ask Reyna to come with us. Clearly she can hold her own. You stay here with Annie and take over as praetor until we get back."

Percy narrowed his eyes, " _If_ you get back." He wasn't trying to be negative but he was upset. "I'm coming with you and you can't stop me. I _felt_ you die."

Riss closed her eyes and licked her cracked lips. She feared that he would but that he wouldn't remember why he felt like the other half of him was dying. Riss had also been ignoring Poseidon's 'calls,' trying to avoid getting yelled at for saving _Zeus' son_ and putting her own life on the line.

The black-haired girl scowled, "What? You think I _planned_ to die?"

Percy called her bluff. "Yeah. I _know_ you planned to die. Four people on a quest. I saw how you were after Bianca. But you've always been like that, Neri, sacrificing yourself for the good of others. I love that about you but I can't lose you."

"And I can't lose Jason, just like you can't lose Annie," Riss admitted, shrugging slightly. "Hera's always called me 'the connection.'" She waved her hand around, gesturing to New Rome, " _This_ is what I'm connecting. Think about it Perce, what's the _one_ thing you have in common with Jason aside from the two camps?"

The son of Poseidon set his jaw, annoyed. "You."

"Exactly." Riss grabbed her twin's hands, "I died, yeah, but something happened to me. I can't…I can't even _begin_ to explain it. It was like I saw _everyone_."

Percy frowned, "What do you mean? _Everyone_?"

"Uh…" Riss suddenly pointed to a woman who was walking passed them. She was tall, in her late thirties and her hair was beginning to gray at the sides but she had a kind face and she smiled at the Jackson twins as she moved by them. "Her. She has two daughters and a husband. She's the daughter of Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and endings and she almost lost her twins in childbirth. But Venus, the mother of her husband, convinced Juno to place a blessing on all three of them. She's expecting a son in the spring and he'll be more like his grandmother, he'll even have charmspeak."

"How…how do you know that?" Percy gaped.

Riss' breath stuttered in her chest and her eyes were tinged with fear, " _I don't know_. And it's scaring me."

 **XXXXX**

"It never takes long, does it!?"

"When does it ever, dweeb!?"

Percy would have preferred to have a normal catch-up with his sister after not seeing her for months but here they were, back-to-back, firing jets of water at angry Roman soldiers after the _Argo II_ had initiated what looked like an attack.

This time the flash of light was directly overhead. One of the Roman catapults had fired, and the _Argo II_ groaned and tilted sideways, flames bubbling over its bronze-plated hull.

"Shit!" Annabeth heard Riss yell and daggers of water flew out, impaling the sleeves of at least two dozen Roman's to the ground. Riss panted slightly and shook her head, "I should not have done that so soon. Percy, where's Annie?"

"Annabeth!" Percy called, seeing the blonde running towards them. "What—?"

"I don't know!" she yelled.

"I'll tell you what!" cried a voice from above. Octavian had reached the bottom of the ladder. "The Greeks have _fired_ on us! Your boy Leo has trained his weapons on Rome!"

Annabeth's chest filled with liquid hydrogen. She felt like she might shatter into a million frozen pieces. "You're lying," she said. "Leo would never—"

"I was just there!" Octavian shrieked. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

Riss' eyes widened, "Annie, we saw _it_ just before they left. Leo…something is _in_ Leo, I can feel it."

The _Argo II_ returned fire. Legionnaires in the field scattered as one of their catapults was blasted to splinters. "You see?" Octavian screamed. "Romans, kill the invaders!"

Annabeth growled in frustration. There was no time for anyone to figure out the truth. The crew from Camp Half-Blood was outnumbered a hundred to one, and even if Octavian had managed to stage some sort of trick (which she thought likely), they'd never be able to convince the Romans before they were overrun and killed.

"We have to leave," Annabeth told the Jackson twins. " _Now_. "

Percy nodded grimly. "Hazel, Frank, you've got to make a choice. Are you coming?"

Hazel looked terrified, but she donned her cavalry helmet. "Of course we are. But you'll never make it to the ship unless we buy you some time."

How?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel whistled. Instantly a blur of beige shot across the forum. A majestic horse materialized next to the fountain. He reared, whinnying and scattering the mob. Hazel climbed on his back like she'd been born to ride. Strapped to the horse's saddle was a Roman cavalry sword. Hazel unsheathed her golden blade.

"Send me an Iris-message when you're safely away, and we'll rendezvous," she said. "Arion, ride!"

The horse zipped through the crowd with incredible speed, pushing back Romans and causing mass panic.

"I want a horse like that." Riss focused back on Annabeth and Percy, "I can flood them. I won't kill them. Just yell when you get onto the _Argo_ and I'll do it."

Annabeth felt a glimmer of hope but tried to argue with Riss. Maybe they could make it out of here alive but she didn't want to leave her best friend.

"Go!" Riss urged, nudging Annabeth into Percy's arms. "I can do this. Now get onto that goddamn ship and stop Leo!"

From halfway across the forum, Annabeth heard Jason shouting. He and Piper were surrounded by a large group of Romans, who were not backing down.

"Romans!" he cried. "Please!"

Jason and Piper were being pelted with plates and stones. Jason tried to shield Piper but a brick caught him above the eye. He crumpled, and the crowd surged forward.

Riss gasped, "Jason!"

"Get back!" Piper screamed. Her charmspeak rolled over the mob, making them hesitate, but Annabeth knew the effect wouldn't last. Percy and she couldn't possibly reach them in time to help.

"Frank," Percy said, "it's up to you. Can you help them?"

Annabeth didn't understand how Frank could do that all by himself, but he swallowed nervously. "Oh, gods," he murmured. "Okay, sure. Just get up the ropes. Now."

Percy and Annabeth lunged for the ladder. Octavian was still clinging to the bottom but Percy yanked him off and threw him into the mob. They began to climb as armed legionnaires flooded into the forum. Arrows whistled past Annabeth's head. An explosion almost knocked her off the ladder.

Halfway up, she heard a roar below and glanced down. Romans screamed and scattered as a full-sized dragon charged through the forum—a beast even scarier than the bronze dragon figurehead on the _Argo II_.

It had rough gray skin like a Komodo lizard's and leathery bat wings. Arrows and rocks bounced harmlessly off its hide as it lumbered toward Piper and Jason, grabbed them with its front claws, and vaulted into the air.

"Is that…?" Annabeth couldn't even put the thought into words.

"Frank," Percy confirmed, a few feet above her. "He has a few special talents."

"Understatement," Annabeth muttered. "Keep climbing!"

Without the dragon, Hazel's horse and an angry daughter of Poseidon to distract the archers, they never would have made it up the ladder; but finally they climbed past a row of broken aerial oars and onto the deck. The rigging was on fire. The foresail was ripped down the middle, and the ship listed badly to starboard. There was no sign of Coach Hedge but Leo stood amidships, calmly reloading the ballista. Annabeth's gut twisted with horror.

"Leo!" she screamed. "What are you _doing_?"

"Destroy them…" He faced Annabeth. His eyes were glazed. His movements were like a robot's. "Destroy them all."

He turned back to the ballista but Percy tackled him. Leo's head hit the deck hard, and his eyes rolled up so that only the whites showed. The gray dragon soared into view. It circled the ship once and landed at the bow, depositing Jason and Piper, who both collapsed.

"Neri, now! Go!" Percy yelled. "Get us out of here!"

With a shock, Annabeth realized that the second instruction was for her. She ran for the helm. She made the mistake of glancing over the rail and saw armed legionnaires closing ranks in the forum, preparing flaming arrows. Hazel spurred Arion, and they raced out of the city with a mob chasing after them.

More catapults were being wheeled into range. All along the Pomerian Line, the statues of Terminus were glowing purple, as if building up energy for some kind of attack. Annabeth looked over the controls. She cursed Leo for making them so complicated. No time for fancy maneuvers, but she did know one basic command: _up_. She grabbed the aviation throttle and yanked it straight back.

A tidal wave made from pure power reached up from the River Tiber and Annabeth could _just_ see Riss, standing at the base of it. The Romans stopped running, screaming in terror as the wave came crashing down, wrapping them and keeping them in a tight grip. It didn't drown them, Riss made sure of that as she leapt up and grabbed the very corner of the ladder, dragging herself up just in time to not be left behind. Percy half-climbed down to help his sister up, both collapsing on the deck a few moments later.

The ship groaned. The bow tilted up at a horrifying angle. The mooring lines snapped, and the _Argo II_ shot into the clouds.

 **XXXXX**

Piper hadn't stayed with Riss and Jason for long. She'd seemed anxious, almost like there was something that she had seen or heard that was making her nervous. Riss didn't want to think about it too much. She was incredibly drained – she'd just lifted the _entire_ river up and used it to not-drown drown hundreds of Romans.

The daughter of Poseidon stretched out her arms, feeling light pinches. Maybe after she healed Jason again, she could heal her arm…whatever. Riss had discovered that the place that ached matched up perfectly with where the Roman tattoos were burnt into the skin after she had awoken in the night, screaming, and Jason had hurried into her Cabin to comfort her. She'd been terrified, feeling the burning sensation in her arm and Riss knew that it was Percy's pain that she was feeling. She rolled her eyes and lay down on the bed.

The cut above Jason's eye was half-closed and wasn't bleeding anymore. The Jackson girl yawned and curled into Jason's side. Nightmares had been plaguing her for a few weeks now and they always sent her close to tears into the Zeus Cabin. Jason had never complained, he'd merely lift his arm and wrap it around Riss, holding her close and speaking quietly to her until she fell asleep.

But her nightmares were always the same and only growing more vivid.

Nerissa had only watched X-Men once (she'd loved it but she was always busy) and all she could say was that her new 'ability' was similar to when Charles Xavier used Cerebro. She saw _everyone_ – all demigods and demigods to be – and she knew their parentage and any extra gifts they had. The dreams always started with seeing the demigods and then being roughly shoved into darkness.

And then the screams started.

The shrouded woman Riss had seen in the Underworld – the one with the half-mummified face – stood in front of her, surrounded by what Riss could only call her army of ghosts. The ghosts of the ones that had died in the Battle of New York.

Riss knew it wasn't real. They had all gone to Elysium, Nico had taken her to check once, but it hurt. They were dead, she reminded herself as they blamed her for their deaths. They were dead, she reminded herself when they surged forward and began to tug at her.

They were _dead_.

And she had not.

Life was a gift, Riss knew that and as much as she wanted them alive, she knew she could _choose_ to save someone. That would be selfish and cruel – to drag just _one_ demigod back to life because Riss wanted them to but the temptation was there when Bianca di Angelo, Silena Beauregard and Charles Beckendorf appeared in front of her.

The temptation grew even more when they didn't scream or cry or blame her. They hugged her and Riss always had tears in her eyes until she was ripped away and buried under the earth, screams tugging themselves from her throat as she lost the ability to breathe.

"Hey."

Riss' lips parted as she looked up, Jason's arm moving to wrap around her, "Oh, gods, I was so worried about you."

Jason touched his bandaged head, "Don't worry, Riss. What…what happened? I remember the explosions, and—"

"You remember who I am?"

Jason tried to laugh, but it turned into a painful wince. "Last I checked, you're Nerissa Jackson, the girl I'm crazy about. Unless something has changed since I was out?"

"Nothing's changed," Riss said, stretching out so her face was level with his. Jason swallowed hard at her proximity. "I love being Nerissa Jackson, the girl you're crazy about. I was just _so_ worried."

Jason craned his neck slightly to kiss Riss, tugging her closer to his chest. "Remember what I said? Together."

"Together," Riss repeated before she reached up to continue healing his head. She described what happened quickly and the damage the _Argo_ sustained. She was just explaining how Leo and Hazel had gone to find bronze to fix the ship when she heard horse hooves clomping across the deck over their heads. Moments later, Leo and Hazel stumbled to a stop in the doorway, carrying a large sheet of hammered bronze between them.

Piper stumbled out of her room at the sound of horse hooves and did a double-take at the sight of Leo as Riss desperately tried not to laugh.

"Gods of Olympus." Piper stared at Leo. "What happened to _you_?"

Riss smirked, teasing playfully, "I don't know, I kinda like it."

Leo's hair was greased back. He had welding goggles on his forehead, a lipstick mark on his cheek, tattoos all over his arms, and a T-shirt that read HOT STUFF, BAD BOY, and TEAM LEO.

"Long story," he said after winking and shooting Riss with a finger gun. "Others back?"

"Not yet," Piper said.

Leo cursed. Then he noticed Jason sitting up, and his face brightened. "Hey, man! Glad you're better. I'll be in the engine room." He ran off with the sheet of bronze, leaving Hazel in the doorway.

Piper raised an eyebrow at her. " _Team Leo_?"

"I was more questioning _Bad Boy_."

"We met Narcissus," Hazel said, which didn't really explain much. "Also Nemesis, the revenge goddess."

Jason sighed. "I miss all the fun."

Riss spun around to him, "Stop talking. You were just unconscious and I was here _baby_ - _sitting_ you because I cared that you were missing out on the fun."

On the deck above, something went _THUMP_ , as if a heavy creature had landed. Annabeth and Percy came running down the hall. Percy was toting a steaming five-gallon plastic bucket that smelled horrible. Annabeth had a patch of black sticky stuff in her hair. Percy's shirt was covered in it.

"Roofing tar?" Piper guessed.

Riss snickered, "I'm so glad I stayed here and baby-sat Jase. You look good, big brother. New fashion?"

Percy mock-scowled. Frank stumbled up behind them, which made the hallway pretty jam-packed with demigods. Frank had a big smear of the black sludge down his face.

"Ran into some tar monsters," Annabeth said. "Hey, Jason, glad you're awake. Hazel, where's Leo?"

She pointed down. "Engine room."

Suddenly the entire ship listed to port. The demigods stumbled. Percy almost spilled his bucket of tar. Riss stumbled into the doorframe of Jason's room with a yelp, trying not to smash into anyone.

"Uh, what was that?" he demanded.

"Oh…" Hazel looked embarrassed. "We may have angered the nymphs who live in this lake. Like… all of them."

"Great." Percy handed the bucket of tar to Frank and Annabeth. "You guys help Leo. I'll hold off the water spirits as long as I can. Neri, wanna help?"

Riss shrugged, "Got nothing better to do. Let's kick some nymph ass."

"On it!" Frank promised.

The three of them ran off, leaving Hazel at the cabin door. The ship listed again, and Hazel hugged her stomach like she was going to be sick. "I'll just…" She swallowed, pointed weakly down the passageway, and ran off.

Jason and Piper stayed below as the ship rocked back and forth. For a hero, Piper felt pretty useless. Waves crashed against the hull as angry voices came from above deck—Percy shouting, Coach Hedge yelling at the lake. There was also a lot of Riss screaming insults in Latin and the nymphs yelling something back in Ancient Greek. Jason winced as he heard Riss yell something particularly nasty.

Festus the figurehead breathed fire several times. Down the hall, Hazel moaned miserably in her cabin. In the engine room below, it sounded like Leo and the others were doing an Irish line dance with anvils tied to their feet. After what seemed like hours, the engine began to hum. The oars creaked and groaned, and Piper felt the ship lift into the air.

The rocking and shaking stopped. The ship became quiet except for the drone of machinery. Finally Leo emerged from the engine room. He was caked in sweat, lime dust, and tar. His T-shirt looked like it had been caught in an escalator and chewed to shreds. The TEAM LEO on his chest now read: AM LEO. But he grinned like a madman and announced that they were safely under way.

"Meeting in the mess hall, one hour," he said. "Crazy day, huh?"

 **XXXXX**

After everyone had cleaned up, Coach Hedge took the helm and the demigods gathered below for dinner. It was the first time they'd all sat down together—just the eight of them. Maybe their presence should've reassured Piper but seeing all of them in one place only reminded her that the Prophecy of Seven was unfolding at last.

No more waiting for Leo to finish the ship.

No more easy days at Camp Half-Blood, pretending the future was still a long way off.

They were under way, with a bunch of angry Romans behind them and the ancient lands ahead. The giants would be waiting. Gaea was rising. And unless they succeeded in this quest, the world would be destroyed. The others must've felt it too.

The tension in the mess hall was like an electrical storm brewing, which was totally possible, considering Percy, Riss and Jason's powers. In an awkward moment, the two boys tried to sit in the same chair at the head of the table. Sparks literally flew from Jason's hands. After a brief silent standoff, like they were both thinking, _seriously dude_ , they ceded the chair to Annabeth and sat at opposite sides of the table.

Riss shot them both looks, from her spot beside Jason, "I'm choking to death on testosterone and it's not coming from the guy who had 'hot stuff' written on him."

The crew compared notes on what had happened in Salt Lake City, but even Leo's ridiculous story about how he tricked Narcissus wasn't enough to cheer up the group.

"So where to now?" Leo asked with a mouthful of pizza. "I did a quick repair job to get us out of the lake, but there's still a lot of damage. We should really put down again and fix things right before we head across the Atlantic."

Percy was eating a piece of pie, which for some reason was completely blue—filling, crust, even the whipped cream. Riss smiled fondly at it and popped a blue tortilla chip into her mouth.

"We need to put some distance between us and Camp Jupiter," he said. "Frank spotted some eagles over Salt Lake City. We figure the Romans aren't far behind us."

"I don't suppose we should go back and try to reason with the Romans? Maybe—maybe I didn't try hard enough with the charmspeak."

Jason placed a hand on Piper's arm. "It wasn't your fault, Pipes. Or Leo's," he added quickly. "Whatever happened, it was Gaea's doing, to drive the two camps apart."

Piper was grateful for his support, but she still felt uneasy. "Maybe if we could explain that, though—"

"With no proof?" Annabeth asked. "And no idea what really happened? I appreciate what you're saying, Piper. I don't want the Romans on our bad side, but until we understand what Gaea's up to, going back is suicide."

"She's right," Hazel said. She still looked a little queasy from seasickness, but she was trying to eat a few saltine crackers. The rim of her plate was embedded with rubies, and Piper was pretty sure they hadn't been there at the beginning of the meal. "Reyna might listen, but Octavian won't. The Romans have honor to think about. They've been attacked. They'll shoot first and ask questions post hac."

"We have to hurry, no matter what," Riss piped in. She shook her head and parted her lips, "I can feel him dying. Nico."

Hazel bit her lip. "Nemesis said we have only six days until Nico dies and Rome is destroyed."

Jason frowned. "You mean _Rome_ Rome, not New Rome?"

"Yes, darling," Riss confirmed before Hazel could say anything.

"Why six days?" Percy wondered. "And how are they going to destroy Rome?"

No one answered. Piper didn't want to add further bad news, but she felt she had to. "There's more," she said. "I've been seeing some things in my knife."

Frank froze with a forkful of spaghetti halfway to his mouth. "Things such as…?"

"They don't really make sense," Piper said, "just garbled images, but I saw two giants, dressed alike. Maybe twins."

Annabeth stared at the magical video feed from Camp Half-Blood on the wall. Right now it showed the living room in the Big House: a cozy fire on the hearth and Seymour, the stuffed leopard head, snoring contentedly above the mantel.

"Twins, like in Ella's prophecy," Annabeth said. "If we could figure out those lines, it might help."

" _Wisdom's daughter walks alone_ ," Percy said. " _The Mark of Athena burns through Rome_. Annabeth, that's got to mean you. Juno told me…well, she said you had a hard task ahead of you in Rome. She said she doubted you could do it. But I know she's wrong."

Annabeth took a long breath. "Reyna was about to tell me something right before the ship fired on us. She said there was an old legend among the Roman praetors—something that had to do with Athena. She said it might be the reason Greeks and Romans could never get along."

Leo and Hazel exchanged nervous looks.

"Nemesis mentioned something similar," Leo said. "She talked about an old score that had to be settled—"

"The one thing that might bring the gods' two natures into harmony," Hazel recalled.

"'An old wrong finally avenged.'" Percy drew a frowny face in his blue whipped cream. "I was only a praetor for about two hours. Jason, you ever hear a legend like that?"

Jason was still holding Riss' hand under the table, hidden from view in case Percy wanted to kill him for being so close to his sister. His fingers had turned clammy. "I…uh, I'm not sure," he said. "I'll give it some thought."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "You're not _sure_?"

Jason didn't respond and Riss didn't voice the fact that she thought he was lying. She squeezed his hand.

Hazel broke the silence. "What about the other lines?" She turned her ruby-encrusted plate. " _Twins snuff out the angel's breath / who holds the key to endless death._ "

" _Giant's bane stands gold and pale_ ," Frank added, " _Won through pain from a woven jail_."

"Giants' bane," Leo said. "Anything that's a giants' bane is good for us, right? That's probably what we need to find. If it can help the gods get their schizophrenic act together, that's good."

Percy nodded. "We can't kill the giants without the help of the gods."

Riss frowned, "Do you think I could help with that? I mean, the gods _speak_ through me. Maybe they could channel their powers through me."

"No. It's too dangerous to channel the power of a god." Riss raised her brows – if she was going to do it, she'd do it, permission from Jason or not. Jason turned to Frank and Hazel. "I thought you guys killed that one giant in Alaska without a god's help, just the two of you."

"Alcyoneus was a special case," Frank said. "He was only immortal in the territory where he was reborn—Alaska. But not in Canada. I wish I could kill all the giants by dragging them across the border from Alaska into Canada, but…" He shrugged. "Percy's right, we'll need the gods."

"That's pretty cool, dude," Riss smiled lightly at Frank. He beamed back at her.

"So…" Leo pushed his chair away from the table. "First things first, I guess. We'll have to put down in the morning to finish repairs."

"Someplace close to a city," Annabeth suggested, "in case we need supplies. But somewhere out of the way, so the Romans will have trouble finding us. Any ideas?"

Riss scrunched up her nose before she turned to Piper. Piper could see a lot in her knife, particularly about the future. "Pipes?"

Piper remembered her vision in the knife: the strange man in purple, holding out a goblet and beckoning to her. He'd been standing in front of a sign that read TOPEKA 32. "Well," she ventured, "how do you guys feel about Kansas?"

Riss tilted her head, "I'd say I feel terrified and in need of a pair of ruby slippers. That being said…when do we leave?"

 **XXXXX**

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 **THREE EXAMS DOWN, THREE TO GO. THAT MEANS ANOTHER CHAPTER NEXT WEEKEND!**

 **Please follow, favorite and review!**

 **~ Raven**


	4. DELTA

_**DELTA | THE WHEAT BECOMES A PEEPING TOM**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Rosy Fire_** **,** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _TheYoLOMan_** **,** ** _Imprisoned Wings_** **,** ** _DaughterofWar03_** **,** ** _Madhatterpotterhead_** **,** ** _Nyte, Spunky89, Arianna Le Fay_** **AND** ** _Guest_** **FOR REVIEWING!**

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Nerissa Jackson refused to sleep. Her fear of her own nightmares easily kept her awake and it didn't hurt that Coach Hedge spent the first hour after curfew doing his nightly duty, walking up and down the passageway yelling, "Lights out! Settle down! Try to sneak out, and I'll smack you back to Long Island!" He banged his baseball bat against a cabin door whenever he heard a noise, shouting at everyone to go to sleep, which made it impossible for _anyone_ to go to sleep.

Riss was stretched out over the length of her bunk, playing with a few darts. There was a large dartboard painted on the roof of her room and she was calmly throwing darts to stick into the ceiling. She was careful to avoid the lantern hanging but she was bored – too bored to even sleep.

But her mind seemed to have other ideas because she was soon sucked into a dream.

 **XXXXX**

"Where in the Underworld am I?"

A chuckle, something calm and deep and like home sounded from behind Riss. "Your home, sweet one."

Riss spun around in the dark cavern, seeing a glowing light behind her. The light shaped itself into a solid form – trident, included – and in a matter of moments, Poseidon was staring back at his daughter. His arms were spread wide and Riss ran into them, hugging her father tight.

"Dad…" Riss pulled away, sea-green eyes catching her father's matching ones. "Have I disappointed you?"

Nerissa would never admit it but she was a total daddy's girl and was constantly desperate for her father's approval. The sea god was always proud of his children and although he didn't say it nearly enough, he hoped Riss knew it.

Poseidon smoothed back his daughter's hair – the hair so much like his beloved Sally's – and he just stared at her for a few moments in silence. Riss was such a beautiful young woman, even with her scars and flaws, and Poseidon was glad that although she had his temperament, Riss had Sally's kindness.

"Always, dearest," Poseidon cooed. He was always gentle with Riss, she was his little girl and he'd been searching for a way to reach his daughter for quite a while. He had _needed_ to speak to her and it had taken a deal with Morpheus to finally speak to her. "I could never be disappointed in you."

"What about my actions?"

The god of the sea knew what she meant. The Grace boy. Poseidon shook his head, "I may not approve of your relationship with Zeus's son but…"

Riss cracked a smile, prompting, "But…?"

"But your brother is dating Athena's daughter and although I have a rivalry with her, Annabeth has proven to be good for Percy."

The raven-haired girl smiled and tilted her head, "That she has. So you're okay with me and Jase?"

Poseidon's easy-going smile dropped. "I may be but my brother…"

" _Zeus_ , of course." Riss bit her lip. She cared deeply for Jason but if Zeus wanted to interfere…well, she was sure that Zeus would have no issue with employing Aphrodite's talents to… _change Riss' mind_ , given that Riss had effectively 'stolen' Piper's boyfriend.

The cavern the pair stood in gave a shake and Poseidon shook his head, "I don't have long. I just wanted to tell you that I love you, I'm proud of how you saved Jason and although I love your selflessness, you should stop sacrificing yourself for others to the extent of death." Riss opened her mouth to object but Poseidon raised his hand, "I know, I know. They are the people you care for and you will fight for them and die for them. You're so like your mother."

Riss smiled, "Thanks, dad."

Poseidon began to fade from Riss' vision and he called out to her, "Don't fight them! If the gods speak through you, it's to warn you, darling! You are more, much more, you just need to accept it, Nerissa."

 **XXXXX**

The _Argo II_ settled in the middle of a field of sunflowers, the oars retracting. The gangplank lowered itself. The morning air smelled of irrigation, warm plants, and fertilized earth.

Riss was leant into Jason's form, his arm draped around her shoulder. She was yawning, still exhausted from her Morpheus-induced dream. Percy was the first to notice Piper walk onto the deck, nudging Riss. He smiled in greeting, which for some reason surprised Piper. He was wearing faded jeans and a fresh orange Camp Half-Blood T-shirt, as if he'd never been away from the Greek side. The new clothes had probably helped his mood—and of course the fact that he was standing at the rail with his arm around Annabeth.

Piper was happy to see Annabeth with a sparkle in her eyes, because Piper had never had a better friend. For months, Annabeth had been tormenting herself, her every waking moment consumed with the search for Percy. Now, despite the dangerous quest they were facing, at least she had her boyfriend back.

Riss waved at Piper in greeting, nudging back at her twin brother. His smile, if possible, widened further and a spark seemed to light up in Riss' tired gaze.

"So!" Annabeth plucked the bagel out of Piper's hand and took a bite, but that didn't bother Piper. Back at camp, they'd had a running joke about stealing each other's breakfast. The pair also often teamed up to dump variations of liquid on Nerissa to see if anything actually touched her – it never worked and once, Riss had dumped them in the lake. "Here we are. What's the plan?"

"I want to check out the highway," Piper said. "Find the sign that says Topeka 32."

Leo spun his Wii controller in a circle, and the sails lowered themselves. "We shouldn't be far," he said. "Festus and I calculated the landing as best we could. What do you expect to find at the mile marker?"

Piper explained what she'd seen in the knife—the man in purple with a goblet. She kept quiet about the other images, though, like the vision of Percy, Riss, Jason, and herself drowning. She wasn't sure what it meant, anyway; and everyone seemed in such better spirits this morning, she didn't want to ruin the mood.

"Purple shirt?" Jason asked. "Vines on his hat? Sounds like Bacchus."

"Dionysus," Percy muttered. "If we came all the way to Kansas to see _Mr D_ —"

"Bacchus isn't so bad," Jason said. "I don't like his followers much.…"

"Batshit crazy," Riss mused. The followers of Bacchus were insane, something further proven by that one episode of _True Blood_ Riss had seen. Piper even shuddered. Jason, Leo, and she had had an encounter with the maenads a few months ago and almost gotten torn to pieces – Riss had thankfully missed out on _that_ quest.

"But the god himself is okay," Jason continued. "I did him a favor once up in the wine country."

Percy looked appalled. "Whatever, man. Maybe he's better on the Roman side. But why would he be hanging around in Kansas? Didn't Zeus order the gods to cease all contact with mortals?"

Riss scoffed, "I am _proof_ that Zeus' rules aren't listened to."

Percy made a thinking face and nodded, realising that was true and Frank grunted in agreement. The big guy was wearing a blue tracksuit this morning, like he was ready to go for a jog in the sunflowers. "The gods haven't been very good at following _that_ order," he noted. "Besides, if the gods _have_ gone schizophrenic like Hazel said—"

"And _Leo_ said," added Leo.

Frank scowled at him. "Then who knows what's going on with the Olympians? Could be some pretty bad stuff out there."

"Sounds dangerous!" Leo agreed cheerfully. "Well…you guys have fun. I've got to finish repairs on the hull. Coach Hedge is gonna work on the broken crossbows. And, uh, Annabeth—I could really use your help. You're the only other person who even _sort of_ understands engineering."

Annabeth looked apologetically at Percy. "He's right. I should stay and help."

"I'll come back to you." He kissed her on the cheek. "Promise."

They were so easy together, it made Piper's heart ache for Riss. She had noticed that the pair had been _odd_ since they had gotten back from Camp Jupiter. Jason was great, of course. But sometimes he acted so distant, like last night, when he'd been reluctant to talk about that old Roman legend. So often he seemed to be thinking of his old life at Camp Jupiter. The trip to Camp Jupiter, seeing Reyna in person, hadn't helped. Neither did the fact that Jason had chosen to wear a purple shirt today—the color of the Romans.

Riss, even under Jason's arm, seemed tense and occasionally shifted uncomfortably, like being close to Jason was _physically_ harming her. And maybe it was, Piper hadn't been able to get a good read on Riss since their first quest together; Nerissa seemed to have a wall up around her heart now.

Frank slid his bow off his shoulder and propped it against the rail. "I think I should turn into a crow or something and fly around, keep an eye out for Roman eagles."

"Why a crow?" Leo asked. "Man, if you can turn into a dragon, why don't you just turn into a dragon every time? That's the coolest."

Frank's face looked like it was being infused with cranberry juice. "That's like asking why you don't bench-press your maximum weight every time you lift. Because it's hard, and you'd hurt yourself. Turning into a dragon isn't easy."

"Oh." Leo nodded. "I wouldn't know. I don't lift weights."

"Yeah. Well, maybe you should consider it, Mr—"

" _Whoa_ ," Riss said defensively, moving out from under Jason's arm to nudge Frank away from Leo. She angled herself between them, "Back off my little elf man, dude. Leo's the only one stopping us from flying into a volcano right now, so I wouldn't piss him off."

Hazel stepped between them. "I'll help you, Frank," she said, shooting Leo an evil look. "I can summon Arion and scout around below."

"Sure," Frank said, still glaring at Leo around Riss. "Yeah, thanks."

Piper wondered what was going on with those three. The boys showing off for Hazel and razzing each other— _that_ she understood. But it almost seemed like Hazel and Leo had a history. So far as she knew, they'd met for the first time just yesterday. She wondered if something else had happened on their trip to the Great Salt Lake—something they hadn't mentioned.

Riss was still glaring right back at Frank. She didn't mind Hazel, she was Nico's sister, after all, but Frank…well, he hadn't done anything to gain Riss' affection. He seemed to think that with Percy's loyalty, came Riss'.

Hazel turned to Percy. "Just be careful when you go out there. Lots of fields, lots of crops. Could be _karpoi_ on the loose."

" _Karpoi_?" Piper asked.

"Grain spirits," Hazel said. "You don't want to meet them."

Piper didn't see how a grain spirit could be so bad, but Hazel's tone convinced her not to ask.

"That leaves four of us to check on the mile marker," Percy said. "Me, Jason, Riss and Piper. Riss is good with just about any god. I'm not psyched about seeing Mr. D again. That guy is a pain. But, Jason, if you're on better terms with him—"

"Yeah," Jason said. "If we find him, I'll talk to him. Piper, it's your vision. You should take the lead."

Piper shivered. She'd seen the four of them drowning in that dark well. Was Kansas where it would happen? That didn't seem right, but she couldn't be sure. "Of course," she said, trying to sound upbeat. "Let's find the highway."

 **XXXXX**

Leo had said they were close. His idea of 'close' needed some work. After trudging half a mile through hot fields, getting bitten by mosquitoes and whacked in the face with scratchy sunflowers, they finally reached the road. An old billboard for 'Bubba's Gas 'n' Grub' indicated they were still forty miles from the first Topeka exit.

"Correct my math," Percy said, "but doesn't that mean we have eight miles to walk?"

Jason peered both ways down the deserted road. He looked better today, thanks to the magical healing of ambrosia and nectar and Riss' healing powers. His color was back to normal, and the scar on his forehead had almost vanished. The new _gladius_ that Hera had given him last winter hung at his belt. Most guys would look pretty awkward walking around with a scabbard strapped to their jeans, but on Jason it seemed perfectly natural.

"No cars…" he said. "But I guess we wouldn't want to hitchhike."

"No," Piper agreed, gazing nervously down the highway. "We've already spent too much time going overland. The earth is Gaea's territory."

"Hmm…" Jason snapped his fingers. "I can call a friend for a ride."

Percy raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? Me too. Let's see whose friend gets here first."

Riss rolled her eyes, "I'm choking to death on testosterone over here. Besides, Blackjack likes me better."

Jason whistled. Piper knew what he was doing, but he'd succeeded in summoning Tempest only three times since they'd met the storm spirit at the Wolf House last winter. Today, the sky was so blue, Piper didn't see how it could work. Percy simply closed his eyes and concentrated. Piper hadn't studied him up close before. After hearing so much at Camp Half-Blood about Percy Jackson _this_ and Percy Jackson _that_ , she thought he looked…well, unimpressive, especially next to Jason.

Percy was more slender, about an inch shorter, with slightly longer, much darker hair. He wasn't really Piper's type. If she'd seen him in the mall somewhere, she probably would've thought he was a skater—cute in a scruffy way, a little on the wild side, definitely a troublemaker. She would have steered clear. She had enough trouble in her life. But she could see why Annabeth liked him, and she could definitely see why Percy needed Annabeth in his life. If anybody could keep a guy like that under control, it was Annabeth.

Piper also noticed the similarities between Riss and Percy. They shared the same slender build and sea-green eyes. The same mischievous light swirled in their eyes and they had similar face shapes. Riss looked more tame, less scruffy, but just as wild and rebellious. Riss and Jason evened each other out in that sense – Percy and Riss were balanced by their fair, light-eyed companions who were more serious and determined.

Thunder crackled in the clear sky.

Jason smiled. "Soon."

"Too late." Percy pointed east, where a black winged shape was spiraling toward them. At first, Piper thought it might be Frank in crow form. Then she realized it was much too big to be a bird. The winged stallion came in for a landing. He trotted over to Percy and nuzzled his face, then turned his head inquisitively toward Piper and Jason.

"Blackjack!" Riss cheered, the pegasus near-galloping over to her to butt his face against her shoulder. Her thin arms wrapped around Blackjack's neck and she giggled, "Oh, I missed you!"

Percy smiled at his sister and pegasus, "Blackjack, this is Piper and Jason. They're friends." The horse nickered. "Uh, maybe later," Percy answered.

Piper had heard that Percy and Riss could speak to horses, being the son and daughter of the horse lord Poseidon and she'd seen Riss in action. "What does Blackjack want?" she asked.

"Donuts," Percy said. "Always donuts. He can't carry all four of us—"

Suddenly the air turned cold. Piper's ears popped. About fifty yards away, a miniature cyclone three stories tall tore across the tops of the sunflowers like a scene from _The Wizard of Oz_. It touched down on the road next to Jason and took the form of a horse—a misty steed with lightning flickering through its body.

"Tempest," Jason said, grinning broadly. "Long time, my friend."

The storm spirit reared and whinnied. Blackjack backed up skittishly, hiding behind Riss, who immediately stepped forward to Tempest, reaching out a timid hand to pat the horse. Tempest almost fell over trying to get the girl to pat him and Jason smiled adoringly at Riss.

"Easy, boy," Percy said. "He's a friend too." He gave Jason an impressed look. "Nice ride, Grace."

Jason shrugged. "I made friends with him during our fight at the Wolf House. He's a free spirit, literally, but once in a while he agrees to help me."

Percy and Jason climbed on their respective horses. Piper had never been comfortable with Tempest so she headed over to Blackjack. With a smile, Percy extended a hand to her, helping her onto the horse. Riss loved all horses and smiled gently, wordlessly telling Piper that she could ride with Blackjack and Percy if it made her more comfortable. Piper smiled back as Riss elegantly hopped onto the horse behind Jason.

Blackjack nickered loudly and Riss rolled her eyes as she looped her arms around Jason's waist, "Yes, I'm riding with Jason. Tempest thinks I have nice eyes, you've never said that."

The pegasus pawed at the ground and Riss laughed. Tempest raced down the road with Blackjack soaring overhead. Fortunately, they didn't pass any cars, or they might have caused a wreck. In no time, they arrived at the thirty-two-mile marker, which looked exactly as Piper had seen it in her vision. Blackjack landed and Piper carefully slipped off the horse, preparing to be on solid ground. Both horses pawed the asphalt. Neither looked pleased to have stopped so suddenly, just when they'd found their stride. Blackjack whinnied.

"You're right," Percy said. "No sign of the wine dude."

"I beg your pardon?" said a voice from the fields.

Tempest turned quickly and Riss nearly slid off his back. "You heard him… _wine dude_."

The wheat parted, and the man from her vision stepped into view. He wore a wide-brimmed hat wreathed in grapevines, a purple short-sleeved shirt, khaki shorts, and Birkenstocks with white socks. He looked maybe thirty, with a slight potbelly, like a frat boy who hadn't yet realized college was over.

"Did someone just call me the _wine dude_?" he asked in a lazy drawl. "It's Bacchus, please. Or Mr Bacchus. Or Lord Bacchus. Or, sometimes, Oh-My-Gods-Please-Don't-Kill-Me, Lord Bacchus."

Percy urged Blackjack forward, though the pegasus didn't seem happy about it. "You look different," Percy told the god. "Skinnier. Your hair is longer. And your shirt isn't so loud."

The wine god squinted up at him. "What in blazes are you talking about? Who are you, and where is Ceres?"

"Uh…what series?"

"I think he means Ceres," Jason said. "The goddess of agriculture. You'd call her Demeter." He nodded respectfully to the god. "Lord Bacchus, do you remember me? I helped you with that missing leopard in Sonoma."

Bacchus scratched his stubbly chin. "Ah…yes. John Green."

"Jason Grace."

"Huh," Riss mused. "Some things just never change."

"Whatever," the god said. "Did Ceres send you, then?"

"No, Lord Bacchus," Jason said. "Were you expecting to meet her here?"

The god snorted. "Well, I didn't come to Kansas to _party_ , my boy. Ceres asked me here for a council of war. What with Gaea rising, the crops are withering. Droughts are spreading. The _karpoi_ are in revolt. Even my grapes aren't safe. Ceres wanted a united front in the plant war."

"The plant war," Percy said. "You're going to arm all the little grapes with tiny assault rifles?"

The god narrowed his eyes. "Have we met?"

"At Camp Half-Blood," Percy said, "I know you as Mr. D—Dionysus."

"Agh!" Bacchus winced and pressed his hands to his temples. For a moment, his image flickered. Piper saw a different person—fatter, dumpier, in a much louder, leopard-patterned shirt. Then Bacchus returned to being Bacchus. "Stop that!" he demanded. "Stop thinking about me in Greek!"

Percy blinked. "Uh, but—"

"Percy, listen to him," Riss advised. "The different sides of the gods are fighting for one body."

Bacchus nodded at Riss. "Exactly. Do you have any idea ho it is to stay focused? Splitting headaches all the time! I never know what I'm doing or where I'm going! Constantly grumpy!"

"That sounds pretty normal for you," Percy said.

The god's nostrils flared. One of the grape leaves on his hat burst into flame. "If we know each other from that _other_ camp, it's a wonder I haven't already turned you into a dolphin."

"It was discussed," Percy assured him. "I think you were just too lazy to do it."

Riss grinned, "Besides, you know it won't _really_ affect us. We'd just be closer to dad and step-monster."

Piper had been watching with horrified fascination, the way she might watch a car wreck in progress. Now she realized Percy was _not_ making things better, Riss seemed to be more reckless around her brother and Annabeth wasn't around to rein them _both_ in. Piper figured her friend would never forgive her if she brought Percy back transformed into a sea mammal.

"Lord Bacchus!" Piper interrupted.

"Piper, careful," Jason said.

She shot him a warning glance: _I've got this_. "Sorry to trouble you, my lord," she told the god, "but actually we came here to get your advice. Please, we need your wisdom." She used her most agreeable tone, pouring respect into her charmspeak.

The god frowned, but the purple glow faded in his eyes. "You're well-spoken, girl. Advice, eh? Very well. I would avoid karaoke. Really, theme parties in general are out. In these austere times, people are looking for a simple, low-key affair, with locally produced organic snacks and—"

"Not about parties," Piper interrupted. "Although that's incredibly useful advice, Lord Bacchus. We were hoping you'd help us on our quest."

She explained about the _Argo II_ and their voyage to stop the giants from awakening Gaea. She told him what Nemesis had said: that in six days, Rome would be destroyed. She described the vision reflected in her knife, where Bacchus offered her a silver goblet.

"Silver goblet?" The god didn't sound very excited. He grabbed a Diet Pepsi from nowhere and popped the top of the can.

"You drink Diet Coke," Percy said.

"Shut _up_ , Perce!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Bacchus snapped. "As to this vision of the goblet, young lady, I have nothing for you to drink unless you want a Pepsi. Jupiter has put me under strict orders to avoid giving wine to minors. Bothersome, but there you have it. As for the giants, I know them well. I fought in the first Giant War, you know."

"You can fight?" Percy asked.

"Perseus!"

Piper wished he hadn't sounded so incredulous. Dionysus snarled. His Diet Pepsi transformed into a five-foot staff wreathed in ivy, topped with a pinecone.

" _Athyrsus_!" Piper said, hoping to distract the god before he whacked Percy on the head. She'd seen weapons like that before in the hands of crazy nymphs, and wasn't thrilled to see one again, but she tried to sound impressed. "Oh, what a mighty weapon!"

"Indeed," Bacchus agreed. "I'm glad _someone_ in your group is smart. The pinecone is a fearsome tool of destruction! I was a demigod myself in the first Giant War, you know. The son of Jupiter!"

Jason flinched. Probably he wasn't thrilled to be reminded that the Wine Dude was technically his big brother. Bacchus swung his staff through the air, though his potbelly almost threw him off balance. Riss repressed her snicker.

"Of course that was long before I invented wine and became an immortal. I fought side by side with the gods and some other demigod… Harry Cleese, I think."

"Heracles?" Piper suggested politely.

"Whatever," Bacchus said. "Anyway, I killed the giant Ephialtes and his brother Otis. Horrible boors, those two. Pinecone in the face for both of them!"

Piper held her breath. All at once, several ideas came together in her head—the visions in the knife, the lines of the prophecy they'd been discussing the night before. She felt like she used to when she was scuba diving with her father, and he would wipe her mask for her underwater. Suddenly, everything was clearer.

Riss' heart stopped. _Di Angelo_ – _Angel_ in Italian. And if the two giants were… _twins_ …

"Lord Bacchus," she said, trying to control the nervousness in her voice. "Those two giants, Ephialtes and Otis… would they happen to be twins?"

"Hmm?" The god seemed distracted by hi -swinging, but he nodded. "Yes, twins. That's right."

Riss looked, wide-eyed, at Jason and Percy. She could tell they was following her thoughts: _Twins snuff out the angel's breath._

"That's why we're here," Piper told the god. "You're part of our quest!"

Bacchus frowned. "I'm sorry, my girl. I'm not a demigod anymore. I don't _do_ quests."

"Of course, you can," Riss grumbled.

"But giants can only be killed by heroes and gods working together," she insisted. "You're a god now, and the two giants we have to fight are Ephialtes and Otis. I think…I think they're waiting for us in Rome. They're going to destroy the city somehow. The silver goblet I saw in my vision—maybe it's meant as a symbol for your help. You _have_ to help us kill the giants!"

Bacchus glared at her, and Piper realized she'd chosen her words poorly. "My girl," he said coldly, "I don't _have_ to do anything. Besides, I only help those who give me proper tribute, which no one has managed to do in many, many centuries. Perhaps you should ask the goddess you've _already got_ for help."

"Goddess we've got?" Riss asked, confused. The other shrugged at her. "And what the Underworld do you mean by ' _tribute_ '?"

Blackjack whinnied uneasily. Piper couldn't blame him. She didn't like the sound of _tribute_. She remembered the maenads, the crazed followers of Bacchus, who would tear up nonbelievers with their bare hands. And that was when they were in a _good_ mood. Percy voiced the question that she was too scared to ask.

"What kind of tribute?"

Bacchus waved his hand dismissively. "Nothing _you_ could handle, insolent Greek. But I will give you some free advice, since this girl does have _some_ manners. Seek out Gaea's son, Phorcys. He always hated his mother, not that I can blame him. He didn't have much use for his siblings the twins, either. You'll find him in the city they named after that heroine—Atalanta."

Piper hesitated. "You mean Atlanta?"

"That's the one."

"But this Phorcys," Jason said. "Is he a giant? A Titan?"

Bacchus laughed. "Neither. Seek out the salt water." "Salt water…" Percy said. "In Atlanta?"

"Yes," Bacchus said. "Are you hard of hearing? If anyone can give you insight on Gaea and the twins, it's Phorcys. Just watch out for him."

"What do you mean?" Jason asked. The god glanced at the sun, which had climbed almost to high noon.

"It's unlike Ceres to be late, unless she sensed something dangerous in this area. Or…"

Riss suddenly gasped, eyes glowing an ominous green, " _Bacchus! It's a trap!_ "

The god's face suddenly went slack. "Well, I must be going! And if I were you, I'd do the same!"

"Lord Bacchus, wait!" Jason protested, his arms around a pale and shaking Riss.

The girl straightened and shook her head, "Demeter—I mean, Ceres warned him."

The god shimmered and disappeared with a sound like a soda-can top being popped. The wind rustled through the sunflowers. The horses paced in agitation. Despite the dry, hot day, Piper shivered. A cold feeling…Annabeth and Leo had both described a cold feeling.…

"Bacchus is right," she said. "We need to leave—"

 _Too late_ , said a sleepy voice, humming through the fields all around them and resonating in the ground at Piper's feet. Percy, Riss and Jason drew their swords. Piper stood on the road between them, frozen with fear. The power of Gaea was suddenly everywhere. The sunflowers turned to look at them. The wheat bent toward them like a million scythes. _Welcome to my party_ , Gaea murmured. Her voice reminded Piper of corn growing—a crackling, hissing, hot and persistent noise she used to hear at Grandpa Tom's on those quiet nights in Oklahoma.

 _What did Bacchus say_? The goddess mocked. _A simple low-key affair with organic snacks. Yes. For my snacks, I need only two: the blood of a female demigod, and the blood of a male. Nerissa is needed for something_ more _than this quest. Piper, my dead, choose which hero will dies with you._

Riss narrowed her eyes, "Creepy wheat eyes of the boys, Dirt Face!"

"Gaea!" Jason yelled. "Stop hiding in the wheat. Show yourself!"

 _Such bravado_ , Gaea hissed. _But the other one, Percy Jackson, also has appeal. Choose, Piper McLean, or I will_.

"Wheat. Eyes. Off!"

Piper's heart raced. Gaea meant to kill her. That was no surprise. But what was this about choosing one of the boys? Why would Gaea let either of them go? It had to be a trap.

"You're insane!" Piper shouted. "I'm not choosing anything for you!"

Suddenly Jason gasped. He sat up straight in his saddle. Riss was ripped off the back of Tempest by a strong wind, landing harshly on her back. The dirt quickly became muddy and started to swallow Riss' body. She struggled, her sword disappearing from her grip as the mud seeped up her body.

"Riss! Jason!" Piper cried. "What's wrong—?" He looked down at her, his expression deadly calm. His eyes were no longer blue. They glowed solid gold. "Percy, help!"

Piper stumbled back from Tempest. But Percy galloped away from them. He stopped thirty feet down the road and wheeled his pegasus around. He raised his sword and pointed the tip toward Jason.

" _One will die_ ," Percy said, but the voice wasn't his. It was deep and hollow, like someone whispering from inside the barrel of a cannon.

" _I will choose_ ," Jason answered, in the same hollow voice.

"No!" Piper yelled. All around her, the fields crackled and hissed, laughing in Gaea's voice as Percy and Jason charged at each other, their weapons ready. The mud reached up, covering Riss' mouth and began to suffocate her as she screamed for Percy and Jason to stop.

 **XXXXX**

* * *

 **I finished my exams! Ahhh!**

 **I also think I failed half of them!**

 **Cool. So, I think I am going to be a lot better at updating now but I have to admit, this isn't my best chapter. Please, tell me what you think though!**

 **Please follow, favorite and review!**

 **~ Raven**


	5. EPSILON

_**EPSILON | MAYBE 'TOGETHER' WILL BE OUR 'ALWAYS'**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Rosy Fire_** **,** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _Imprisoned Wings_** **,** ** _DaughterofWar03_** **,** ** _Madhatterpotterhead_** **,** ** _Agazeamongstthestars, TheBooksAreBetterThanTheMovies_** **AND** ** _Guest_** **FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS!**

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 _ **DreamHunterVo:**_ _In this chapter, Riss and Jason are having a few issues and then they're all 'happy, happy, the world is filled with sunshine and rainbows' and then in the next chapter, we will have a lot more sassy Riss who has issues with the entire world - even Jason._

 ** _Madhatterpotterhead:_** _Riss' whole role as a 'minor goddess' is going to be cleared up throughout the book. I don't want to rush the storyline too much, given that I want this to be a four-book series but the whole immortality/ichor/powers thing will be cleared up. Let's just say that it's all about_ _ **acceptance**_ _._

 _ **TheBooksAreBetterThanTheMovies:**_ _Fingers crossed! I love this story so I'm going to write and update as much as possible. I do warn you, however, that I wrote the entirety of_ Atlantic _and then I began posting and editing as I went._ Mediterranean _has not been written at all and I've kind of given up with the whole editing shtick. Bad, I know. But yes, more updates!_

* * *

 ** _I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY A BIG THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO CONTINUES TO BE AMAZING AND SUPPORTS THIS BOOK, MOTIVATED ME TO WRITE IT WITH YOUR TERRIFIC REVIEWS AND WERE REALLY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT ME PASSING MY EXAMS. YOU ALL GAVE ME A CONFIDENCE BOOST THAT I REALLY NEEDED!_**

* * *

If not for the horses, Piper would've died. Riss was struggling in the earth's grip, eyes wide in terror as she watched Jason and Percy charged each other.

Thankfully, Tempest and Blackjack balked long enough for Piper to leap out of the way. She rolled to the edge of the road and looked back, dazed and horrified, as the boys crossed swords, gold against bronze.

Sparks flew.

Their blades blurred—strike and parry—and the pavement trembled. The first exchange took only a second, but Piper couldn't believe the speed of their sword fighting. The horses pulled away from each other— Tempest thundering in protest, Blackjack flapping his wings.

"Stop it!" Piper yelled.

For a moment, Jason heeded her voice. His golden eyes turned toward her, and Percy charged, slamming his blade into Jason. Thank the gods, Percy turned his sword—maybe on purpose, maybe accidentally—so the flat of it hit Jason's chest; but the impact was still enough to knock Jason off his mount. Blackjack cantered away as Tempest reared in confusion. The spirit horse charged into the sunflowers and dissipated into vapor. Percy struggled to turn his pegasus around.

"Percy!" Piper yelled. "Jason's your friend. Drop your weapon!"

Percy's sword arm dipped. Piper might have been able to bring him under control, but unfortunately Jason got to his feet. Jason roared. A bolt of lightning arced out of the clear blue sky. It ricocheted off his _gladius_ and blasted Percy off his horse. Riss whimpered quietly in the back of her throat, fear for the boys causing her eyes to fill with tears. She was having trouble breathing, the dirt in her mouth not entirely suffocating her but stopping her from speaking. Gaea's sleepy voice wheedled in her mind.

 _In time, my dear, you will be my strongest ally. Soon, your brother or your beloved will fall and you will realise—_

 _Shut up, Dirt Face!_

Blackjack whinnied and fled into the wheat fields. Riss rolled her eyes and thought up every crush she could, berating the pegasus for being such a chicken-shit. Jason charged at Percy, who was now on his back, his clothes smoking from the lightning blast. For a horrible moment, Piper couldn't find her voice.

"No!" Piper screamed. "Jason, stop!"

He froze, his sword six inches from Percy's face. Jason turned, the gold light in his eyes flickering uncertainly. " _I cannot stop. One must die_."

Something about that voice…it wasn't Gaea. It wasn't Jason. Whoever it was spoke haltingly, as if English was its second language.

"Who are you?" Piper demanded.

Jason's mouth twisted in a gruesome smile. " _We are the eidolons. We will live_ again."

Oh, Hades no, flipping ghosts were not piggybacking her brother and 'beloved's' souls right now. Riss redoubled her efforts, shimmying her body to get out of the mud and sending any excess water away. If the mud became dirt again, Riss could possibly pull an 'earth-shaker' move and make it split.

"Eidolons…?" Piper's mind raced. She'd studied all sorts of monsters at Camp Half-Blood, but that term wasn't familiar. "You're—you're some sort of ghost?"

" _He must die_." Jason turned his attention back to Percy, but Percy had recovered more than either of them realized. He swept out his leg and knocked Jason off his feet. Jason's head hit the asphalt with a nauseating _conk_. Percy rose. Riss yelled mumbled abuse in Latin at Gaea.

"Stop it!" Piper screamed again, but there was no charmspeak in her voice. She was shouting in sheer desperation. Percy raised Riptide over Jason's chest. Panic closed up Piper's throat. She wanted to attack Percy with her dagger, but she knew that wouldn't help. Whatever was controlling him had all of Percy's skill. There was no way she could beat him in combat. She forced herself to focus. She poured all of her anger into her voice.

"Eidolon, stop." Percy froze. "Face me," Piper ordered.

The son of the sea god turned. His eyes were gold instead of green, his face pale and cruel, not at all like Percy's. Piper had seen a similar expression on Riss' face once – something about her had suddenly screamed 'daughter of Poseidon' and Piper realized that like the ocean, the Jackson twins could be calm and placid one moment and violent and vicious the next. They just _chose_ to be gentle and kind like the sea on a nice summer's day.

" _You have not chosen_ ," he said. " _So this one will die_."

"You're a spirit from the Underworld," Piper guessed. "You're possessing Percy Jackson. Is that it?"

Percy sneered. " _I will live again in this body. The Earth Mother has promised. I will go where I please, control who I wish_."

 _Megalomaniac ghost_ , Riss thought bitterly as the water drained away and the mud covering her mouth began to crack and flake away.

A wave of cold washed over Piper. "Leo…that's what happened to Leo. He was being controlled by an eidolon."

The thing in Percy's form laughed without humor. " _Too late you realize. You can trust no_ one."

Jason still wasn't moving. Piper had no help, no way to protect him. Behind Percy, something rustled in the wheat. Piper saw the tip of a black wing, and Percy began to turn toward the sound.

"Ignore it!" she yelped. "Look at me."

Percy obeyed. " _You cannot stop me. I will kill Jason Grace_."

Behind him, Blackjack emerged from the wheat field, moving with surprising stealth for such a large animal.

"You won't kill him," Piper ordered.

Riss finally managed to shake off the dirt, spitting it out and she narrowed her icy sea-green eyes on the ghost using her brother as a meat-suit, "You will not, you undead freak." She had seen Blackjack too and turned her eyes on him, "Knock him out."

Percy seemed to be listening to his twin much more than Piper, despite her charmspeak, and shifted. " _I…will knock him out_?"

Riss smiled brightly and moved her arms as best as she could out of the dirt. "Nope. Now say 'night, night.'"

Blackjack reared and brought his hoof down on Percy's head. Percy crumpled to the pavement next to Jason.

"Oh, gods!" Piper hurried over to Riss and tugged her out of the ground before both of them ran to the boys. "Blackjack, you didn't kill him, did you?"

The pegasus snorted and Riss laughed, translating, "He's insulted you even think so."

Piper rolled her kaleidoscope eyes and glanced to the sky; Tempest was nowhere to be seen. The lightning steed had apparently returned to wherever storm spirits live on clear days. Piper checked on Jason. He was breathing steadily, but two knocks on the skull in two days couldn't have been good for him.

Riss examined Percy's head. She didn't see any blood, but a large knot was forming where the horse had kicked him and unless she wanted to siphon water out of the wheat, Riss couldn't heal him.

"We have to get them both back to the ship," Riss told Piper. "Can you carry Jason?"

Piper shrugged, unsure if she could and Riss whistled lowly. Blackjack immediately bobbed his head and knelt to the ground, allowing Piper to drape Jason over the pegasus' back and Riss followed suit with her twin. After a lot of hard work (unconscious boys were heavy), the pair got them reasonably secured and Piper climbed onto Blackjack's back herself. Riss reached out for Tempest in her mind, somehow summoning the horse (even though Jason couldn't) and they took off for the ship.

 **XXXXX**

The others were a little surprised when Piper came back on a pegasus with two unconscious demigods and Riss was behind on an electric horse that wouldn't let anyone but her near him.

While Frank and Hazel tended to Blackjack, Annabeth and Leo helped get Piper and the boys to the sickbay.

"At this rate, we're going to run out of ambrosia," Coach Hedge grumbled as he tended their wounds. "How come I never get invited on these violent trips?"

Piper sat at Jason's side, beside Riss, who was using water to heal the boys. She herself felt fine after a swig of nectar and some water but she was still worried about the boys, even though she knew they were in Riss' capable hands.

"Leo," Piper said, "are we ready to sail?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Set course for Atlanta. I'll explain later."

"But…okay." He hurried off.

Annabeth didn't argue with Piper either. She was too busy examining the horseshoe-shaped dent on the back of Percy's head.

"What hit him?" she demanded.

Riss grinned, "That would be a little parting present from Blackjack."

" _What_?"

"Oh, don't get your knickers in a knot, Annie. Perce is fine, Jason is fine, Piper is fine and I am too."

Piper frowned, pointing out, "You almost drowned in dirt."

Annabeth's eyes went wide and Riss pouted but waved it off. The McLean girl tried to explain while Coach Hedge applied some healing paste to the boys' heads. She'd never been impressed with Hedge's nursing abilities before, but he must have done something right. Either that, or the spirits that possessed the boys had also made them extra resilient.

They both groaned and opened their eyes. Within a few minutes, Jason and Percy were sitting up in their berths and able to talk in complete sentences. Both had fuzzy memories of what had happened. When Piper described their duel on the highway, Jason winced.

"Knocked out twice in two days," he muttered. "Some demigod." He glanced sheepishly at Percy. "Sorry, man. I didn't mean to blast you."

Percy's shirt was peppered with burn holes. His hair was even more disheveled than normal. Despite that, he managed a weak laugh. "Not the first time. Your big sister got me good once at camp."

"Yeah, but…I could have killed you."

"Or I could have killed you," Percy said.

Jason shrugged. "If there'd been an ocean in Kansas, maybe."

"I don't need an ocean—"

Riss' eyes were narrowed, "Neither of us do. _Don't_ blast my brother again."

"Boys, Riss," Annabeth interrupted, "I'm sure you both would've been wonderful at killing each other. But right now, you need some rest."

The blonde looked pointedly at Riss, who lifted a brow and remained silent. Before they had left Camp Half-Blood, Jason and Riss had been always near each other but Jason had begun to doubt her abilities. He just wanted to protect Riss but he was only succeeding in pushing her away – the Jackson girl had always been defensive when it came to her abilities and her aptitude at keeping people alive.

"Food first," Percy said. "Please? And we really need to talk. Bacchus said some things that don't—"

"Bacchus?" Annabeth raised her hand. "Okay, fine. We need to talk. Mess hall. Ten minutes. I'll tell the others. And please, Percy…change your clothes. You smell like you've been run over by an electric horse."

Riss scowled and got up, "He nearly was."

Jason scrubbed at his face, watching Riss leave and Percy flicked his eyes towards the Roman demigod. "Dude, don't piss her off. Neri is the type of girl that would kick you to the curb if you didn't have faith in her and that's all you're showing her right now."

"I just want to protect her."

Percy laughed, a carefree sound that was odd after just being knocked unconscious. He lay back down and tucked his arms under his head, "Neri doesn't _need_ you protecting her. She's always the one protecting _you_ , even if you don't know it."

 **XXXXX**

Leo gave the helm to Coach Hedge again, after making the satyr promise he would not steer them to the nearest military base 'for fun.' They gathered around the dining table, and Piper explained what had happened at TOPEKA 32—their conversation with Bacchus, the trap sprung by Gaea, the eidolons that had possessed the boys.

"Of course!" Hazel slapped the table, which startled Frank so much, he dropped his burrito. "That's what happened to Leo too."

"So it wasn't my fault." Leo exhaled. "I didn't start World War Three. I just got possessed by an evil spirit. That's a relief!"

"But the Romans don't know that," Annabeth said. "And why would they take our word for it?"

"We could contact Reyna," Jason suggested. "She would believe us."

Hearing the way Jason said her name, like it was a lifeline to his past, made Riss' heart sink. They weren't _together_ but the way Jason said her name, with a hope and familiarity, well, she had to admit: it stung.

Jason turned to Piper with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "You could convince her, Pipes. I know you could."

Piper felt like all the blood in her body was draining into her feet. Was it a betrayal to Riss if she did that? Riss bit her lip and looked down, ignoring the sympathetic looks Annabeth and Piper were given her, as if to say: _Boys are so clueless_. Even Hazel winced.

"I could try," Piper said halfheartedly. "But Octavian is the one we have to worry about. In my dagger blade, I saw him taking control of the Roman crowd. I'm not sure Reyna can stop him."

Jason's expression darkened. Piper didn't get any pleasure from bursting his bubble, but the other Romans—Hazel and Frank—nodded in agreement.

"She's right," Frank said. "This afternoon when we were scouting, we saw eagles again. They were a long way off, but closing fast. Octavian is on the warpath."

Hazel grimaced. "This is exactly the sort of opportunity Octavian has always wanted. He'll try to seize power. If Reyna objects, he'll say she's soft on the Greeks. As for those eagles…It's like they could smell us."

"They can," Jason said. "Roman eagles can hunt demigods by their magical scent even better than monsters can. This ship might conceal us somewhat, but not completely—not from them."

Riss nodded her head slowly, "It really doesn't help that you've also got four children of the Big Three flying through the air either."

Leo drummed his fingers. "Great. I should have installed a smoke screen that makes the ship smell like a giant chicken nugget. Remind me to invent that, next time."

Hazel frowned. "What is a chicken nugget?"

"Oh, man…" Leo shook his head in amazement. "That's right. You've missed the last like, seventy years. Well, my apprentice, a chicken nugget—"

"Doesn't matter," Annabeth interrupted. "The point is, we'll have a hard time explaining the truth to the Romans. Even if they believe us—"

"You're right." Jason leaned forward. "We should just keep going. Once we're over the Atlantic, we'll be safe—at least from the legion." He sounded so depressed, Piper didn't know whether to feel sorry for him or resentful. Riss didn't seem to be having much of issue with that, a blank, cold look stamped on her face.

"How can you be sure?" Piper inquired. "Why wouldn't they follow us?"

He shook his head. "You heard Reyna talking about the ancient lands. They're much too dangerous. Roman demigods have been forbidden to go there for generations. Even Octavian couldn't get around that rule."

Frank swallowed a bite of burrito like it had turned to cardboard in his mouth. "So, if _we_ go there…"

"We'll be outlaws as well as traitors," Jason confirmed. "Any Roman demigod would have the right to kill us on sight. But I wouldn't worry about that. If we get across the Atlantic, they'll give up on chasing us. They'll assume that we'll die in the Mediterranean—the Mare Nostrum."

Percy pointed his pizza slice at Jason. "You, sir, are a ray of sunshine."

Jason didn't argue. The other demigods stared at their plates, except for Percy, who continued to enjoy his pizza. Riss was occasionally reaching out to pick the toppings off the slice and eating them. Percy didn't object and Piper tilted her head at them. She didn't have siblings but she wondered if she did, whether or not they'd be like Percy and Riss.

"So let's plan ahead," Percy suggested, "and make sure we _don't_ die."

" _Step one!_ " Riss quipped, eventually giving up with the toppings and stealing a slice of her twin's pizza.

"Mr D—Bacchus—Ugh, do I have to call him Mr. B now? Anyway, he mentioned the twins in Ella's prophecy. Two giants. Otis and, uh, something that started with an F?"

"Ephialtes," Jason said. "Twin giants, like Piper saw in her blade…"

Annabeth ran her finger along the rim of her cup. "I remember a story about twin giants. They tried to reach Mount Olympus by piling up a bunch of mountains."

"That is not gravitationally possible." Riss stuck her tongue out, "I've been spending too much time with you, Annie."

Frank nearly choked. "Well, that's great. Giants who can use mountains like building blocks. And you say Bacchus killed these guys with a pinecone on a stick?"

"Something like that," Percy said. "I don't think we should count on his help this time. He wanted a tribute, and he made it pretty clear it would be a tribute we couldn't handle. And he mentioned something about a goddess _already_ aiding us. Maybe Hera?"

Silence fell around the table.

Piper could hear Coach Hedge above deck singing "Blow the Man Down," except he didn't know the lyrics, so he mostly sang, "Blah-blah-hum-de-dum-dum." Piper couldn't shake the feeling that Bacchus was _meant_ to help them. The giant twins were in Rome. They were keeping something the demigods needed—something in that bronze jar.

Whatever it was, she got the feeling it held the answer to sealing the Doors of Death— _the key to endless death_. She also felt sure they could never defeat the giants without Bacchus's help. And if they couldn't do that in five days, Rome would be destroyed, and Hazel's brother, Nico, would die.

On the other hand, if the vision of Bacchus offering her a silver goblet was false, maybe the other visions didn't have to come true either—especially the one of her, Percy, and Jason drowning. Maybe that was just symbolic. _The blood of a female demigod_ , Gaea had said, _and the blood of a male_. _Piper, my dear, choose which hero will die with you._

"She wants two of us," Piper murmured. Everyone turned to look at her. Even here, with only seven other demigods, Piper felt exposed. _They're my friends_ , she told herself. _It's okay_. But she had a strange feeling…as if more than seven sets of eyes were watching her. "Today on the highway," she said, "Gaea told me that she needed the blood of only two demigods—one female, one male. She—she asked me to choose which boy would die. She didn't even want Riss at all."

"And…" Riss picked at the grain of the table. "She spoke to me privately…she told me I would _join_ her."

Jason squeezed her hand. "But neither of us died. You and Piper saved us and you won't join Gaea. We'll figure this out."

"I know. It's just…Why would she want that?"

Leo whistled softly. "Guys, remember at the Wolf House? Our favorite ice princess, Khione? She talked about spilling Jason's blood, how it would taint the place for generations. Maybe demigod blood has some kind of power."

"Oh…" Percy set down his third pizza slice. He leaned back and stared at nothing, as if the horse kick to his head had just now registered. Riss was immediately straight upright, eyes locked on her brother.

"Percy?" Annabeth gripped his arm.

"Oh, bad," he muttered. "Bad. Bad."

"Words. Come on, use your words, Perce."

He looked across the table at Frank and Hazel. "You guys remember Polybotes?"

"The giant who invaded Camp Jupiter," Hazel said. "The anti-Poseidon you whacked in the head with a Terminus statue. Yes, I think I remember."

"I had a dream," Percy said, "when we were flying to Alaska. Polybotes was talking to the gorgons, and he said— he said he wanted me taken prisoner, not killed. He said: 'I want that one chained at my feet, so I can kill him when the time is ripe. His blood shall water the stones of Mount Olympus and wake Earth Mother!'"

Piper wondered if the room's temperature controls were broken, because suddenly she couldn't stop shaking. It was the same way she'd felt on the highway outside Topeka. "You think the giants would use our blood…the blood of two of us—"

"I don't know," Percy said. "But until we figure it out, I suggest we all try to avoid getting captured."

Jason grunted. " _That_ I agree with."

Riss nodded but tapped her fingers along the table. Why would Gaea need her though? And why in the Underworld would she _willingly_ side with the Earth Goddess? The dark-haired girl shook her head, praying that Gaea's interest in her was not tied to her new, crazy-weird powers.

"But how do we figure it out?" Hazel asked. "The Mark of Athena, the twins, Ella's prophecy…how does it all fit together?"

Annabeth pressed her hands against the edge of the table. "Piper, you told Leo to set our course for Atlanta."

"Right," Piper said. "Bacchus told us we should seek out…what was his name?"

"Phorcys," Percy and Riss said in unison.

Annabeth looked surprised, like she wasn't used to her boyfriend having the answers. Riss, yeah, but not so much Percy. Riss was more tactical – preferring to learn about her enemy before she fought them and Percy preferred to learn _while_ he fought. "You know him?"

Percy shrugged. "I didn't recognize the name at first. Then Bacchus mentioned salt water, and it rang a bell. Phorcys is an old sea god from before our dad's time. Never met him, but supposedly he's a son of Gaea."

"And of Pontos, he was the primordial god of the sea," Riss added. "Phorcys is said to be the father of sea-monsters and the god of the hidden dangers in the oceans. Ships going down and sailors disappearing, that was him."

The son of Poseidon pointed at his sister in agreement. "But I still don't understand what a sea god would be doing in Atlanta."

Leo snorted. "What's a wine god doing in Kansas? Gods are weird. Anyway, we should reach Atlanta by noon tomorrow, unless something _else_ goes wrong."

"You'll jinx us."

"Don't even say that," Annabeth muttered. "It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Wait," Piper said. Once more, everyone looked at her. She was rapidly losing her courage, wondering if her instincts were wrong, but she forced herself to speak. "There's one last thing," she said. "The eidolons—the possessing spirits. They're still here, in this room."

Riss raised her brows. "Dun, dun, dun…."

 **XXXXX**

Piper couldn't explain how she knew.

Stories of phantoms and tortured souls had always freaked her out. Her dad used to joke about Grandpa Tom's Cherokee legends from back on the rez, but even at home in their big Malibu mansion, looking out over the Pacific, whenever her dad recounted the ghost stories for her, she could never get them out of her head.

Cherokee spirits were always restless. They often lost their way to the Land of the Dead, or stayed behind with the living out of sheer stubbornness. Sometimes they didn't even realize the dead. The more Piper learned about being a demigod, the more convinced she was that Cherokee legends and Greek myths weren't so different.

These eidolons acted a lot like the spirits in her dad's stories. Piper had a gut sense they were still present, simply because no one had told them to go away. When she was done explaining, the others looked at her uncomfortably. Up on deck, Hedge sang something that sounded like "In the Navy" while Blackjack stomped his hooves, whinnying in protest.

Finally Hazel exhaled. "Piper is right."

"How can you be sure?" Annabeth asked.

"I've met eidolons," Hazel said. "In the Underworld, when I was…you know."

 _Dead_.

Riss tilted her head, "How was that, actually? I'm genuinely curious."

"So…" Frank rubbed his hand across his buzz-cut hair as if some ghosts might have invaded his scalp. "You think these things are lurking on the ship, or—"

"Possibly lurking inside some of us," Piper said. "We don't know."

Riss gestured at Leo, Jason and Percy, "I'm going to vote on people they've been in before."

Jason clenched his fist. "If that's true—"

"We have to take steps," Piper said. "I think I can do this."

"Do what?" Percy asked. "Just listen, okay?" Piper took a deep breath. "Everybody listen." Piper met their eyes, one person at a time. "Eidolons," she said, using her charmspeak, "raise your hands."

There was tense silence.

Leo laughed nervously. "Did you really think that was going to—?" His voice died. His face went slack. He raised his hand. Jason and Percy did the same. Their eyes had turned glassy and gold. Hazel caught her breath. Next to Leo, Frank scrambled out of his chair and put his back against the wall. Riss threw up her hands, more exasperated than fearful.

"Oh, gods." Annabeth looked at Piper imploringly. "Can you cure them?"

" _Possession_ is not a _disease_ , Annie!"

Piper wanted to whimper and hide under the table, but she _had_ to help Jason, Percy and Leo. She focused on Leo because he was the least intimidating. "Are there more of you on this ship?" she asked.

" _No_ ," Leo said in a hollow voice. " _The Earth Mother sent three. The strongest, the best. We will live again_."

Riss summoned her sword, Nauticus balanced loosely in her grip. "Yes, the best and strongest, dead 'uns."

"Not here, you won't," Piper growled. "All three of you, listen carefully."

Jason and Percy turned toward her. Those gold eyes were unnerving, but seeing all three boys like that fueled Piper's anger. "You will leave those bodies," she commanded.

" _No_ ," Percy said.

Leo let out a soft hiss. " _We must live_."

Frank fumbled for his bow. "Mars Almighty, that's creepy! Get out of here, spirits! Leave our friends alone!"

Leo turned toward him. " _You cannot command us, child of war. Your own life is fragile. Your soul could burn at any moment._ "

Piper wasn't sure what that meant, but Frank staggered like he'd been punched in the gut. He drew an arrow, his hands shaking. "I—I've faced down worse things than you. If you want a fight—"

"Frank, don't." Hazel rose.

Jason drew his sword and Riss immediately angled her own blade at his throat, eyes dull.

"Stop!" Piper ordered, but her voice quavered. She was rapidly losing faith in her plan. She'd made the eidolons appear, but what now? If she couldn't persuade them to leave, any bloodshed would be her fault. In the back of her mind, she could almost hear Gaea laughing.

"Listen to Piper." Hazel pointed at Jason's sword. The gold blade seemed to grow heavy in his hand. It clunked to the table and Jason sank back into his chair.

Percy growled in a very un-Percy-like way. " _Daughter of Pluto, you may control gems and metals. You do not control the dead_."

Riss raised her brows at the eidolon in her brother, "And I control water. Were you away that the human heart and brain are composed of seventy-three percent water? If I were to _squeeze_ , just a little…"

Percy snarled at his sister and Annabeth reached toward him as if to restrain him but Hazel waved her off. "Listen, eidolons," Hazel said sternly, "you do not belong here. I may not command you, but Piper does. Obey her."

"You will leave those bodies," Piper repeated, even more forcefully.

Jason's face tightened. His forehead beaded with sweat. " _We—we will leave these bodies_."

"You will vow on the River Styx never to return to this ship," Piper continued, "and never to possess any member of this crew." Leo and Percy both hissed in protest. "You will promise on the River Styx," Piper insisted. A moment of tension—she could feel their wills fighting against hers.

Then all three eidolons spoke in unison: " _We promise on the River Styx_."

"You are dead," Piper said.

" _We are dead_ ," they agreed.

"Now, leave." All three boys slumped forward. Percy fell face-first into his pizza. "Percy!" Annabeth grabbed him. Piper and Hazel caught Jason's arms as he slipped out of his chair.

Riss stuck out her arms, water sweeping out to catch Leo. She was fond of him – he was like a little brother to both her and Piper and seeing him hurt really annoyed her. And Frank had actually moved _away_ from the Valdez body. "Oh, my little Latino elf," Riss cooed sweetly and then her smirked, "WAKE UP!"

Leo's eyes shot open and he fell out of Riss' water hold, onto the ground with an exclamation of pain.

"Are you all right?" Hazel asked.

Leo pulled himself up. He had a piece of spaghetti in the shape of a 3 stuck to his forehead. "Did it work?"

"It worked," Piper said, feeling pretty sure she was right. "I don't think they'll be back."

Jason blinked. "Does that mean I can stop getting head injuries now?"

Riss laughed and shook her head, finally deciding, "Come on, Sparky. Let's get some air."

 **XXXXX**

Riss and Jason walked back and forth along the deck.

Jason was still wobbly, so Riss encouraged him to wrap his arm around her for support, ensuring that he wouldn't hurt himself further. Leo stood at the helm, conferring with Festus through the intercom; he knew from experience to give Jason and Riss some space when they were together, even though they had never asked him to.

But Piper had and that girl was scary.

Since the satellite TV was up again, Coach Hedge was in his cabin happily catching up on his mixed martial arts cage matches. Blackjack had flown off somewhere, probably to raid a donut shop. The other demigods were settling in for the night and Riss had a feeling that Percy and Annabeth were going to be sharing a room. At Camp Half-Blood, although it wasn't allowed, Annabeth often stayed in the Poseidon Cabin during the night and snuck back into her cabin during the day. Everyone knew and no one said a word, just letting Percy and Annabeth be together.

The _Argo II_ raced east, cruising several hundred feet above the ground. Below them small towns passed by like lit-up islands in a dark sea of prairie. Riss remembered last winter, flying Festus the dragon over the city of Quebec. She had never seen anything so beautiful, or felt so happy to have Jason's arms around her—but this was even better.

The night was warm. The ship sailed along more smoothly than a dragon. Best of all, they were flying away from Camp Jupiter as fast as they possibly could. No matter how dangerous the ancient lands were, Riss couldn't wait to get there. She hoped Jason was right that the Romans wouldn't follow them across the Atlantic. Jason stopped amidships and leaned against the rail. The moonlight turned his blond hair silver.

"Thanks, Riss," he said. "You saved me again."

Riss snorted lightly, something only Jason could possibly find attractive. "Nope. Piper again. I almost drowned in dirt."

He put his arm around her waist. She thought about the day they'd fallen into the Grand Canyon—the first time she'd learned that Jason could control the air. He'd held her so tightly, she could feel his heartbeat. Then they'd stopped falling and floated in midair and despite being scared shitless of heights, she'd felt more comfortable with Jason.

"I don't know if Percy will trust me anymore," Jason said. "Not after I tried to kill him."

Riss laughed, letting her head fall onto Jason's shoulder. "Don't worry about that. I've tried to kill Perce more than once. I've got to admit, he needs a knock on the head every once in a while."

"I could have killed him." Jason wasn't smiling. "That wasn't me but I could have killed him. Your _twin brother_ , Riss."

Riss tried to fight off the urge to cry. "And I couldn't do a damn thing. Now, I'm being told by Dirt Face that I'm going to join her and that I'm stronger than I know. That implies that I'll hurt you all… _willingly_."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Jason said. "We're both alive and you _won't_ join Gaea."

"But if two of our crew really have to die, a boy and a girl and I'm going to _help_ —"

"I don't accept that. We're going to stop Gaea. You'll stay right here with us. All eight of us are going to come back alive. I promise you."

Riss wished that he hadn't _promised_. The word only reminded her of the Prophecy of Seven: _an oath to keep with a final breath_. Riss almost prayed to Aphrodite to keep Jason alive, if the love she felt for him meant anything – and then a cold hand gripped her heart before she did.

How _dare_ she? How could she risk the others like that? Riss felt extremely guilty for even _thinking_ it. She couldn't pray to a goddess for her own selfish needs. Percy was her _twin_. Annabeth was like a sister to her. Piper was her best friend. Leo was like a little brother to her. Hazel was Nico's sister and that was enough for her to be family. And although she wasn't altogether too close with Frank yet, Riss could see he meant a lot to Hazel and the feelings they had for each other reminded herself of her relationship with Jason.

No. No, she couldn't pray, she couldn't even _think_ about praying if it was selfish. All eight would return safe and sound.

"The legend that Annabeth mentioned," Riss finally said, "about the Mark of Athena…why didn't you want to talk about it?"

She was afraid Jason might shut her out, but he just lowered his head like he'd been expecting the question.

"Riss, I don't know what's true and what's not. That legend…it could be really dangerous."

"For all of us?"

Jason nodded grimly. "The story goes that the Romans stole something important from the Greeks, back in ancient times, when the Romans conquered the Greeks' cities."

Riss waited, but Jason seemed lost in thought. "What did they steal?"

"I don't know," he said. "I'm not sure anyone in the legion has ever known. But according to the story, this thing was taken away to Rome and hidden there. The children of Athena, Greek demigods, have hated us ever since. They've always stirred up their brethren against the Romans. Like I said, I don't know how much of that is true—"

"You should tell Annie."

Jason refused to look at Riss, his arm tightening around her waist slightly. "The legend says that the children of Athena have been searching for this thing for millennia. Every generation, a few are chosen by the goddess to find it. Apparently, they're led to Rome by some sign…the Mark of Athena."

"Annie will need our help then."

Jason hesitated. "Maybe. When we get closer to Rome, I'll tell her what little I know. Honest. But the story, at least the way I heard it—it claims that if the Greeks ever found what was stolen, they'd never forgive us. They'd destroy the legion and Rome, once and for all. After what Nemesis told Leo, about Rome's being destroyed five days from now…"

Riss studied Jason's face. He was so handsome, so kind and so brave. But even she had to admit, they had been drifting away from each other ever-so-slightly. And for a not-couple couple, that was a feat in itself. Riss felt very strongly for Jason and he felt strongly for her, she knew that, but was it enough for a relationship? The Jackson girl had never been good at telling people what she felt. When Hades had taken her mother, she had thrown herself head-first into the life of a demigod – the quests, the training – and when Sally Jackson had been returned, Riss had almost exploded. Every feeling and thought she'd never been able to articulate before rushed out in the form of tears and bruising hugs.

And Sally had understood.

When Luke had died, when he'd stopped Kronos from killing her and had sacrificed himself, Riss had been heartbroken. And then they had gotten back to camp and Riss had heard the full list of casualties in the final battle _alone_ : Michael Yew, Silena Beauregard and fourteen Camp Half-Blood campers, many centaurs and a thousand demigods who fought for Kronos – Riss had exploded into a fit of rage and had partially destroyed the Poseidon Cabin before Tyson was finally able to grab her without being stabbed. She had sobbed brokenly for hours and had remained silent for days.

It was how she mourned and no one said a word. They knew how she felt – it had been a waste. The entire Battle of Manhattan had been a useless waste of life that should _never_ had occurred.

"I'm sorry, by the way," Jason said, making Riss snap out of her morbid thoughts. Jason ran the pad of his thumb over Riss' hipbone, knowing that she was being pessimistic and retreated into herself when she was upset.

"Sorry for what?"

The little scar on Jason's upper lip seemed to glow white in the moonlight. Riss really loved that scar. The imperfection made his face much more interesting. "I was stupid to ask anyone to contact Reyna," he said. "I wasn't thinking."

Riss shrugged. "It's fine. You don't need to explain yourself to me, especially with me snapping at you before."

"I get why you did. But it's just…I never felt that way toward Reyna," Jason said, "so I didn't think about its making you uncomfortable. You've got nothing to worry about, Riss."

"I was so afraid you'd go back to Camp Jupiter." Jason looked surprised at Riss' admission. "I was really contemplating dragging you back to the ship and just making sure you didn't leave. Percy and I are the same in that way – we get jealous and slightly possessive when it comes to the people we love."

Riss' eyes were out of focus and she didn't see Jason's near-face-splitting grin at her words. _The people we_ love. Jason leant forward to trail his lips along the perfectly imperfect scar on Riss' cheek. "That would never happen. Not unless you came with me. I promise."

 _An oath to keep with a final breath_.

Riss smiled and gently turned Jason's face to hers. She pressed a lingering kiss on his lips and pulled back, her smile widening as his eyes remained closed in contentment. She tried to put those thoughts out of her mind. She knew she should just enjoy this quiet moment with Jason. She kissed him again, more forcefully this time. Jason angled his body to press flat against Riss' arms looping around her waist to draw her impossibly closer.

Their lips mashed together for a few moments of bliss, tongues sweeping together and fingers lovingly drawing aimless patterns into the other's body. Jason pulled away, pupils blown wide and he leant his forehead against Riss'.

The Jackson girl sighed happily but her eyes were serious as she spoke. "Don't promise me anything, Jason Grace. I care about you too much to lose you to some half-assed promise. Just…stay with me."

Jason pecked her lips, admiring the girl in his arms. "I will. It's you and me, Nerissa Jackson. Together."

"Together."

 **XXXXX**

"She has a what!?"

Poseidon chuckled lowly and ran his sea-green eyes over the woman in front of him. Her hair was ruffled and she was dressed in her pajamas but the sea god knew that she would always be the most beautiful woman in the universe to him. "Apparently he's not her boyfriend yet, Sally."

Sally Jackson eyed the father of her children, "They kiss. They hold hands. They tell each other they care about each other and I'm _sure_ they've shared a bed before. They. Are. Dating. Poseidon!" The dark-haired woman clapped a hand over her mouth. Paul was asleep in the next room and didn't know that the man Sally used to (and still _did_ ) love was in their apartment.

"I know," Poseidon sighed and readjusted his shirt. "But we need to trust her judgment. Even if he is a _Roman_."

Sally waved her hands, "I don't care if he's Roman! I have an issue with the fact that not _once_ did Nerissa mention a Jason Grace. And we spoke a little while ago when she sprung on me that she was travelling to _Rome_ to find Percy." She paused, "Is Percy okay?"

"He's fine," the sea god smiled. "Calm down, Sally. I will visit Jason soon and have a little… _chat_ with him and I'll try to get Percy to look out for Riss. I'm sure he would be happy to."

The Jackson woman smiled and stood up to hug Poseidon. He was so familiar. Sally loved Paul, she really did, and she knew that she and Poseidon would never be together again. But the god of the sea would always be her first love and a part of her would always love him.

Poseidon still loved Sally with every fiber of his being but he knew that she loved another and what they once had would not ever be the same. But still, he hugged her back lovingly, letting his face bury in her hair. Sally smelt the same, acted the same, she _was_ the same, even after all these years.

"Goodbye, dearest," Poseidon said quietly. He hadn't appeared to her since he had left sixteen years ago but Sally had welcomed him with open arms and had stayed up for hours to speak of their children.

Sally smiled softly, "Goodbye, Poseidon." He began to disappear and she quickly called, "Wait!" Poseidon paused, turning to stare at her with those sea-green eyes that she loved so much. "Did you mean it?"

Poseidon didn't need to ask what she meant. He stepped closer and took her hands in his, bringing them to his lips. "You are a queen among mortals, Sally Jackson. I wish you all the happiness with Paul."

"Thank you," Sally breathed quietly and Poseidon's eyes flashed with mischief, like Riss and Percy's did and disappeared in a flash of blue light, leaving behind the scent of the ocean and a content Sally Jackson.

 **XXXXX**

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 **I really love the end part, I've got to say. I apologise if you wonderful readers weren't as enthusiastic about the beginning of this chapter.**

 **Yes, I know, Riss didn't end the fight with her sword or sassily got a huge power boost and broke free of the ground that was keeping her trapped but I wanted to show that Riss isn't all-powerful because the gods aren't even all-powerful (cough-Hera got saved by them-cough) and even the gods can't stand up to Gaea (which is exactly why they are running and hiding. Lame)**

 **Riss is also going to get suspicious of what she is and her powers very soon and it really doesn't help that Gaea is nosy. Riss' powers are relatively minor but she has a specific talent that Gaea REALLY wants.**

 **Please follow and favorite. FIVE REVIEWS for the next chapter!**

 **~ Raven**


	6. ZETA

**_ZETA | THE DREAMS OF THE BROKEN HEARTED_**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Esther77_ , ****_yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _Arianna Le Fay_ , ****_Rosy Fire_** **AND** ** _DreamHunterVo_ FOR YOUR REVIEWS!**

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 ** _yasminasfeir1:_** _This chapter will contain the 'dreaded talk' but not all of it. This chapter is a taste of the ultimate overprotectiveness that is Poseidon. I'm glad you liked the Poseidon/Sally moment!_

 ** _Rosy Fire:_** _They did_ _make up but their relationship isn't all happy days, be warned! I hope you like the small amount of fluff this chapter!_

 ** _DreamHunterVo:_** _I love Poseidon and Sally together but me putting them together isn't really possible because of the storyline in_ Trials of Apollo _but yeah, I indulged a bit. Riss and Frank are going to be besties by the end of this, mark my words, but they're slowly getting to at least that first stage of friendship where Frank doesn't call her by her full first name._

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 ** _WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MENTIONS OF DEATH AND MURDER_**

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Riss screamed, a long, heartbroken note as Riptide slid between his ribs and the gold sword impaled him above his hipbone. She scrambled to her feet, struggling to get to them and she chanted prayers that they were okay, that they weren't really hurt.

But Jason fell to his knees, pale eyes wide open and locked on something Riss couldn't see. Percy's legs collapsed from beneath him just as Riss reached him, clutching his form to her body.

" _No. No. No. No. No._ " Her thin fingers scrambled to cover the wound in her twin's stomach, trying to ignore the clash of blades behind her. "Keep your eyes open, Percy."

Blood bubbled from his lips and the earth began to swallow him. His weak form began to sink as Gaea tightened her earthy grip. Riss let out another scream, her hands gripping onto Percy but he continued to slip from her grasp. The sea-green eyed girl turned her head, seeing Jason's face being covered by the dirt.

"Give them back!" Riss screeched, swirling around in a circle. "This isn't real! Stop it!"

She got no answer. But it couldn't be real – this _had_ to be a dream. If it wasn't— _no_! It was a dream, it was all Gaea, torturing her. The Dirt Queen was _not_ gonna pull some Senator Palpatine shit on her!

The daughter of Poseidon knees buckled and she collapsed, her legs painfully hitting the concrete but she didn't care. Her hands were clapped over her ears but her eyes were glued to her surroundings.

Percy and Jason were only just above the ground, their heads out and lifeless eyes locked on her. Piper was encased in gold, suffocated, and Hazel had multiple small incisions caused by a knife through her neck. Leo had been torn apart by claws, his vital organs strewn across the ground and Frank was completely burnt beyond recognition.

And Annabeth…oh, Annabeth. Riss staggered over to her, dropping beside the blonde. She was still breathing, _just_ , and Riss desperately laced her hand over the wound. The wound _Nerissa_ had caused. Nauticus had sliced clean through Annabeth's chest the second Nerissa had appeared in the dream, unknowing that her friend was in front of her or the fact that her blade was clutched in her hand.

" _Please_ ," Riss begged, tears welling in her eyes. " _Please_." Annabeth gurgled on her own blood, red-dyed hands clenched over her best friends. "Don't take them…please."

Riss' pleas went ignored as Annabeth's eyes fluttered shut and her chest ceased to rise. The black-haired girl screamed again, clinging to Annabeth's body, rocking her as if it would bring her back as salty droplets ran in streams down her cheeks and screams and sobs of absolute pain ripped themselves from her throat.

The ground gave a rumble, Gaea laughing in her own way. _Join me, Nerissa Jackson. And you needn't see any of the ones you love die. Just give me two; a female and male demigod. Frank Zhang is not your friend and Piper McLean loves the one you love. Just give them to me and all of this can be avoided…_

But Riss didn't hear a word, too caught up in her grief. Her friends, _her family_ , all dead. For a brief moment, Riss saw a woman – the woman with the half-mummified face – and the ghosts of her friends.

 _You_ will _join me_.

The Jackson girl reached for her friends, ignoring the earth goddess' words, searching for a way to touch them as they began to disappear and the dirt began to rise around her, drowning her, clogging her throat and—

 **XXXXX**

—Riss shot up with a gasp and immediately burst into sobs.

That had been too real for the young girl to handle and she wrapped her arms around herself before she got up, leaving the darkness of her room.

 **XXXXX**

Jason had not expected to see a tall, dark-haired man in his dreams. He also had not expected to see that his eyes matched Riss' perfectly.

The blonde dropped to one knee, "My lord Ne— _Poseidon_."

Poseidon waved his hand, "Oh, get up." The demigod did as instructed and stayed still as Poseidon stared at him. The man really was Poseidon, Jason could tell and he didn't seem to be experiencing an identity crisis like Bacchus had been.

Really, it was because Neptune didn't really have anything. _Poseidon_ had the ex-lover that he still adored; _Poseidon_ had the selfless twin children; but unfortunately, _both_ Neptune and Poseidon had an annoying wife that he couldn't get rid of. Amphitrite wasn't a terrible wife but she was not the one Poseidon loved and because of his marriage to her and his expectations as a Greek god, he couldn't be with Sally before and now he couldn't be with her ever again.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?"

 _Oh, gods_. An interrogation. Jason began to stutter, "I—I care a lot for her, s—sir."

"Are you going to hurt her?"

The Grace boy shook his head vehemently. Hurting Riss would be like hurting himself. Months with each other and exploring the connection they had to each other made them desperate to keep the other happy. "No. _Never_."

The god hummed, "Do you love her?"

Jason almost fell over. Did he? Did he even know what love was and what it felt like? Yeah, she made his heart pound and his stomach twist whenever she was close. Yeah, when they kissed, Jason _occasionally_ had less than pure thoughts about being with her. Yeah, he couldn't see himself ever being happy again if he lost her—

A lilting, beautiful laugh broke Jason's internal monologue and he spun to see a woman standing behind him. She was dressed in gossamer and she had kaleidoscope eyes – to most, this woman would've been the most gorgeous woman on the planet but to Jason she seemed almost… _boring_.

The woman looked to Poseidon, "He was _created_ for her. Of course, he does."

It finally clicked in the Roman's head. "You're Aphrodite."

Aphrodite nodded, shooting Jason an alluring look but he barely even blinked at her. Her eyes flashed pink for a moment, angered by the fact that she didn't get a reaction from the boy before she smiled, "Yes, I am."

Jason frowned. Created for Riss? Poseidon seemed somewhat happy with Jason's answers and pointed threateningly at him. "This isn't over. But my daughter needs you."

 **XXXXX**

The Grace boy was gone from the dream before he could ask what Poseidon meant but he woke up to hear someone sniffling on the other side of his door. His blue eyes quickly adjusted to the dark as he got up and threw open the door.

Jason frowned in worry, seeing a tear-stained Riss in front of him. "Riss? What is it?" The Jackson girl just shook her head and tightened her arms around herself. Jason sighed, drawing Riss into his arms. "I'm here. Everything's okay, Neri."

Silently, he looped his arms under her knees, pulling her lithe body into his arms and carried her over to the bed. He tucked her into the sheets, sliding in beside her and held her tight. Jason knew that Riss needed someone, just anyone to help her through the night, especially after another nightmare.

"Are you okay?" He knew he was pushing it.

"I don't want to talk about it."

The Grace boy nodded and tilted his head to trail his lips down Riss' neck in comfort. She shivered ever-so-slightly and tucked her body closer to his. "Thank you…"

"Hey," Jason smiled, trying to make Riss smile, "like I keep saying. We're in this t—"

"—together," Riss interrupted, smiling sweetly. She leant up to kiss him. Jason's hands immediately flew to her waist, tugging Riss on top of him to bring her impossibly closer. The blonde flipped them over, teenage hormones urging him to latch his lips more harshly over Riss' throat and he bit down gently, eliciting a gasp from the girl. The Jackson girl giggled and caught Jason's face, holding his cheeks. They didn't have many moments like this – where they could just be teenagers – but they needed to sleep. "Nope."

"Nope," Jason agreed before he ducked his head back down to kiss Nerissa deeply. She sighed, arms looping around his neck before she gently shoved him back again.

" _Nope_."

The Grace boy smiled and rolled off the girl beneath him, wrapping his arms around her. "Goodnight, Riss."

"Night, Jase."

The pair fell into a comfortable sleep, finding comfort in the other's presence and for a while, just enough time to sleep, Riss forgot all about her dream and Gaea's promise that Riss would join her.

 **XXXXX**

The next morning was extremely interesting.

Everyone was fearful that Percy and Annabeth had been kidnapped, given that they were not in their rooms but Riss found it highly entertaining. They were together, she knew that and she wasn't scared, given that she would be able to feel if Percy was in pain. She was grateful that in some way, her connection to Percy had somewhat diminished – she could feel his emotions on a low level, and vice versa, and she still sustained injuries but not to the level where they were almost identical for the twins.

When everyone finally gathered in the mess hall, Percy and Annabeth now found, it wasn't quite as bad as Frank had feared it would.

Riss smirked, winking at her brother and inquiring crudely, "Should I expect nieces and nephews soon?"

Percy and Annabeth both turned a brilliant shade of red and Annabeth glared at her. Percy smirked instead, replying, "Ditto, sis," and gestured to where Riss was sitting in Jason's lap, his arms looped around her waist.

Jason and Piper were mostly relieved to see the pair unharmed after laughing for a good few minutes. Leo couldn't stop grinning and muttering, "Classic. Classic," after high-fiving Riss for her words. Only Hazel seemed scandalized, maybe because she was from the nineteen-forties. She kept fanning her face and wouldn't meet Percy's eyes but she was trying to hide a smile at Riss' comment. Naturally, Coach Hedge went ballistic; but Percy found it hard to take the satyr seriously since he was barely five feet tall – especially when his twin was making kissy faces behind Hedge's back.

"Never in my life!" Coach bellowed, waving his bat and knocking over a plate of apples. "Against the rules! Irresponsible!"

"Coach," Annabeth said, "it was an accident. We were talking, and we fell asleep."

"Besides," Percy said, "you're starting to sound like Terminus." Hedge narrowed his eyes.

"Is that an insult, Jackson? 'Cause I'll—I'll terminus you, buddy!"

Percy tried not to laugh. "It won't happen again, Coach. I promise. Now, don't we have other things to discuss?"

Hedge fumed. "Fine! But I'm watching you, Jackson. And you, Annabeth Chase, I thought you had more sense—"

Jason cleared his throat. "So grab some food, everybody. Let's get started."

 **XXXXX**

The meeting was like a war council with donuts. Then again, back at Camp Half-Blood they used to have their most serious discussions around the Ping-Pong table in the rec room with crackers and Cheez Whiz, so Percy felt right at home.

He told them about his dream—the twin giants planning a reception for them in an underground parking lot with rocket launchers; Nico di Angelo trapped in a bronze jar, slowly dying from asphyxiation with pomegranate seeds at his feet.

Hazel choked back a sob. "Nico… Oh, gods. The seeds."

"You know what they are?" Annabeth asked.

Hazel nodded. "He showed them to me once. They're from our stepmother's garden."

"Your step… oh," Percy said. "You mean Persephone."

Riss had met the wife of Hades once. She hadn't been exactly warm and sunny. He had also been to her Underworld garden—a creepy place full of crystal trees and flowers that bloomed blood-red and ghost white. She assumed the blood-red was a sort of tribute to Adonis.

"The seeds are a last-resort food," Hazel said. Percy could tell she was nervous, because all the silverware on the table was starting to move toward her. "Only children of Hades can eat them. Nico always kept some in case he got stuck somewhere. But if he's really imprisoned—"

"The giants are trying to lure us," Annabeth said. "They're assuming we'll try to rescue him."

"They'd be right," Riss snarled. "He's like a little brother to me and I'm not letting him die like I let Bianca—" She cut herself off and met the eyes of the others, "You with me?"

Hazel smiled appreciatively and looked hopefully at the other demigods, waiting for the answer.

"Yes!" Coach Hedge yelled with a mouthful of napkins. "It'll involve fighting, right?"

"Hazel, of course we'll help him," Frank said. "But how long do we have before… uh, I mean, how long can Nico hold out?"

"One seed a day," Hazel said miserably. "That's if he puts himself in a death trance."

"A death trance?" Annabeth scowled. "That doesn't sound fun."

Riss snorted, " _Dying_ doesn't sound like fun, let alone the death trance."

"It keeps him from consuming all his air," Hazel said. "Like hibernation, or a coma. One seed can sustain him one day, barely."

"And he has five seeds left," Percy said. "That's five days, including today. The giants must have planned it that way, so we'd have to arrive by July first. Assuming Nico is hidden somewhere in Rome—"

"That's not much time," Piper summed up. She put her hand on Hazel's shoulder. "We'll find him. At least we know what the lines of the prophecy mean now. 'Twins snuff out the angel's breath, who holds the key to endless death.' Your brother's last name: di Angelo. _Angelo_ is Italian for 'angel.'"

"Oh, gods," Hazel muttered. "Nico…"

Percy stared at his jelly donut. He had a rocky history with Nico di Angelo. The guy had once tricked him into visiting Hades' palace, and Percy had ended up in a cell. But most of the time, Nico sided with the good guys. He certainly didn't deserve slow suffocation in a bronze jar, and Percy couldn't stand seeing Hazel in pain. He also knew that Riss loved Nico unconditionally, showering him with love that she believed he never got from Bianca because of her but Nico loved Riss just as much as she loved him.

"We'll rescue him," he promised her. "We _have_ to. The prophecy says he holds the key to endless death."

"We will," Riss said confidently and plucked the jelly donut from her brother's fingers, eating it herself.

"That's right," Piper said encouragingly. "Hazel, your brother went searching for the Doors of Death in the Underworld, right? He must've found them."

"He can tell us where the doors are," Percy said, "and how to close them."

Hazel took a deep breath. "Yes. Good."

Riss frowned and bit her lip. That wasn't the priority, Nico's life was. She didn't see the doors as what they should be focusing on, instead on rescuing a fellow demigod.

"Uh…" Leo shifted in his chair. "One thing. The giants are expecting us to do this, right? So we're walking into a trap?"

Hazel looked at Leo like he'd made a rude gesture. "We have no choice!"

"Don't get me wrong, Hazel. It's just that your brother, Nico…he knew about both camps, right?"

"Well, yes," Hazel said.

"He's been going back and forth," Leo said, "and he didn't tell either side."

Riss scowled heavily. "That means _nothing_."

Jason sat forward, his expression grim. "You're wondering if we can trust the guy. So am I."

Hazel shot to her feet. "I don't believe this. He's my _brother_. He brought me back from the Underworld, and you don't want to help him?"

Frank put his hand on her shoulder. "Nobody's saying that." He glared at Leo. "Nobody had _better_ be saying that."

Leo blinked. "Look, guys. All I mean is—"

"Hazel," Jason said. "Leo is raising a fair point. I remember Nico from Camp Jupiter. Now I find out he also visited Camp Half-Blood. That does strike me as… well, a little shady. Do we really know where his loyalties lie? We just have to be careful."

Hazel's arms shook. A silver platter zoomed toward her and hit the wall to her left, splattering scrambled eggs. "You…the _great_ Jason Grace…the praetor I looked up to. You were supposed to be so fair, such a good leader. And now you…" Hazel stomped her foot and stormed out of the mess hall.

"Hazel!" Leo called after her. "Ah, jeez. I should—"

"You've done enough," Frank growled. He got up to follow her, but Piper gestured for him to wait.

"Give her time," Piper advised. Then she frowned at Leo and Jason. "You guys, that _was_ pretty cold."

Jason looked shocked. "Cold? I'm just being cautious!"

"Screw that," Riss snarled, sea-green eyes glowing with intensity and rage. "That's bull! We accepted you and you're a freaking _Roman_! And I'm supposedly going to join Gaea but I'm still here too! If you're going to doubt Nico, then you're going to have to doubt me too." She swept her eyes over the group, "I am _alive_ because of Nico's sister. We would not have beaten Kronos if _Nico di Angelo_ didn't have a want to _help_ people." The entire room was silent and Riss shoved back her chair, "I'm going to get some air."

Jason buried his head in his hands, mumbling, "Her dad's gonna kill me." He got up quickly, "I've gotta go talk to her. Hopefully she'll forgive me."

Piper smiled at him, "She will."

"Just be prepared to be doused in water and then frozen," Percy added, smirking.

 **XXXXX**

Riss had hidden from Jason and she felt useless for three reasons.

One; she had not gone to actually _do_ anything and the only time she had, she'd almost been drowned by dirt.

Two; these supposed powers she'd generated had begun to annoy her because she had _no idea_ where they came from.

And three; she was having an issue with her not-boyfriend boyfriend over something completely immature and childish.

But still, Nerissa Jackson could hold a grudge like nobody's business.

Hazel was quite lovely, Riss found, as they spoke. The younger girl told Riss all about her death and her powers and Riss told Hazel about how she knew Nico. She even told the daughter of Pluto about her half-sister's death and Hazel merely smiled at her and patted her hand, silently telling her she didn't blame her for anything.

Annabeth joined them after a while, attempting to cheer Hazel up with a whole list of Seaweed Brain moments that Riss joined in on time to time. The blonde turned to Riss, "What happened before?"

Riss bit her lip, shrugging, "Jason and I…our relationship works because we _trust_ each other's judgment and ability to look after ourselves. But since I died, he's been more protective and nearly as soon as we got onto the _Argo II_ , he's not letting me do anything and is questioning my judgment about _everything_." The green-eyed girl shook her head, "Maybe I'm just overreacting."

Annabeth shook her head, "You're not. But just talk to him, you know he didn't mean it."

"Yeah, I know." The daughter of Poseidon scowled, "I hate that I can't stay mad at him."

The trio laughed a bit but immediately stopped when Frank stumbled down the hall and burst into her cabin.

"Where's Leo?" he gasped. "Take off! Take off!"

The girls shot to their feet. "Where's _Percy_?" Annabeth demanded. "And the goat?"

Frank grabbed his knees, trying to breathe. His clothes were stiff and damp, like they'd been washed in pure starch. "On deck. They're fine. We're being followed!"

Annabeth pushed past him and took the stairs three at a time, Hazel and Riss right behind her and Frank trailing, still gasping for air. Percy and Hedge lay on the deck, looking exhausted. Hedge was missing his shoes. He grinned at the sky, muttering, "Awesome. Awesome."

Percy was covered with nicks and scratches, like he'd jumped through a window. He didn't say anything, but he grasped Annabeth's hand weakly.

Riss dropped down beside her brother and began to heal him, grumbling about her twin being an idiotic blowfish. Leo, Piper, and Jason, who'd been eating in the mess hall, came rushing up the stairs.

"What? What?" Leo cried, holding a half-eaten grilled cheese sandwich. "Can't a guy even take a lunch break? What's wrong?"

"Followed!" Frank yelled again.

"Followed by _what_?" Jason asked.

"I don't know!" Frank panted. "Whales? Sea monsters? Maybe Kate and Porky!"

"I assume you mean _Phorcys_." Riss got up, complaining, "We never have a break do we? Can we just have one small mission where we _don't_ piss everyone off!?"

Annabeth wanted to strangle the guy, but she wasn't sure her hands would fit around his thick neck. "That makes absolutely no sense. Leo, you'd better get us out of here."

Leo put his sandwich between his teeth, pirate style, and ran for the helm. Soon the _Argo II_ was rising into the sky and Riss was creating a barrier of water between the warship and everything else. Annabeth manned the aft crossbow. She saw no sign of pursuit by whales or otherwise, but Percy, Frank, and Hedge didn't start to recover until the Atlanta skyline was a hazy smudge in the distance.

"Charleston," Percy said, hobbling around the deck like an old man. He still sounded pretty shaken up. "Set course for Charleston."

"Charleston?" Jason said the name as if it brought back bad memories. "What exactly did you find in Atlanta?"

Frank unzipped his backpack and starting bringing out souvenirs. "Some peach preserves. A couple of T-shirts. A snow globe. And, um, these not-really-Chinese handcuffs."

"Ooh, snow globe."

Annabeth forced herself to stay calm. "How about you start from the top—of the story, not the backpack."

They gathered on the quarterdeck so Leo could hear the conversation as he navigated. Percy and Frank took turns relating what had happened at the Georgia Aquarium, with Coach Hedge interjecting from time to time: "That was awesome!" or "Then I kicked her in the head!"

Riss pursed her lips, "You sure _you_ didn't get kicked in the head?"

At least the coach seemed to have forgotten about Percy and Annabeth falling asleep in the stable the night before. But judging from Percy's story, Annabeth had worse problems to worry about than being grounded. When Percy explained about the captive sea creatures in the aquarium, she understood why he seemed so upset.

"That's terrible," she said. "We need to help them."

"We will," Percy promised. "In time. But I have to figure out _how_. I wish…" He shook his head. "Never mind. First we have to deal with this bounty on our heads."

Riss looked close to tears and wondered if her father would help the sea creatures if she asked. She'd tell Percy about it after, if she had time. Coach Hedge had lost interest in the conversation—probably because it was no longer about him—and wandered toward the bow of the ship, practicing his roundhouse kicks and complimenting himself on his technique.

Annabeth gripped the hilt of her dagger. "A bounty on our heads…as if we didn't attract enough monsters already."

"Do we get _WANTED_ posters?" Leo asked. "And do they have our bounties, like, broken down on a price list?"

Hazel wrinkled her nose. " _What_ are you talking about?"

"Just curious how much I'm going for these days," Leo said. "I mean, I can understand not being as pricey as Percy or Jason, maybe…but am I worth, like, two Franks, or three Franks?"

"Hey!" Frank complained.

Riss didn't even look at Leo, "No. You do not start doing that. What happened to being a team? We're snapping at each other and doubting each other and we haven't even gotten to Rome yet."

"At least we know our next step is to go to Charleston, to find this map." Piper leaned against the control panel.

She'd done her braid with white feathers today, which looked good with her dark brown hair. Annabeth wondered how she found the time. Annabeth could barely remember to _brush_ her hair. She was lucky that she had Riss, who often appeared in the early hours of the morning to braid her friends hair back and get a few minutes of peaceful conversation between best friends.

"A map," Piper said. "But a map to _what_?"

"The Mark of Athena," Riss said immediately. It was just an inkling but she knew she was right.

" _Whatever_ that is," Percy added. "We know it leads to something important in Rome, something that might heal the rift between the Romans and Greeks."

" _The giant's bane_ ," Hazel added. Percy nodded. "And in my dream, the twin giants said something about a statue."

"Um…" Frank rolled his not-exactly-Chinese handcuffs between his fingers. "According to Phorcys, we'd have to be insane to try to find it. But what _is_ it?"

Everyone looked at Annabeth. Her scalp tingled, as if the thoughts in her brain were agitating to get out: a statue…Athena…Greek and Roman, her nightmares, and her argument with her mom. She saw how the pieces were coming together, but she couldn't believe it was true. The answer was too big, too important, and much too scary. She noticed Jason studying her, as if he knew _exactly_ what she was thinking and didn't like it any more than she did.

"I—I'm close to an answer," Annabeth said. "I'll know more if we find this map. Jason, the way you reacted to the name _Charleston_ …have you been there before?"

Jason glanced uneasily at Riss, though Annabeth wasn't sure why. "Yeah," he admitted. "Reyna and I did a quest there about a year ago. We were salvaging Imperial gold weapons from the _CSS Hunley_."

"The what?" Piper asked.

"Whoa!" Leo said. "That's the first successful military submarine. From the Civil War. I always wanted to see that."

"It was designed by Roman demigods," Jason said. "It held a secret stash of Imperial gold torpedoes—until we rescued them and brought them back to Camp Jupiter."

Hazel crossed her arms. "So the Romans fought on the Confederate side? As a girl whose grandmother was a slave, can I just say…not cool?"

Jason put his hands in front of him, palms up. "I personally was not alive then. And it wasn't all Greeks on one side and all Romans on the other. But, yes. Not cool. Sometimes demigods make bad choices." He looked sheepishly at Hazel. "Like sometimes we're too suspicious. And we speak without thinking."

Hazel stared at him. Slowly it seemed to dawn on her that he was apologizing. Riss didn't even bat an eye – in her opinion that was _not_ an apology. Jason elbowed Leo.

"Ow!" Leo yelped. "I mean, yeah…bad choices. Like not trusting people's brothers who, you know, might need saving. Hypothetically speaking."

Hazel pursed her lips. "Fine. Back to Charleston. Are you saying we should check that submarine again?"

Jason shrugged. "Well…I can think o places in Charleston we might search. The museum where they keep the _Hunley_ —that's one of them. It has a lot of relics from the Civil War. A map could be hidden in one. I know the layout. I could lead a team inside."

"I'll go," Leo said. "That sounds cool." Jason nodded. He turned to Frank, who was trying to pull his fingers out of the Chinese handcuffs. "You should come too, Frank. We might need you."

Frank looked surprised. "Why? Not like I was much good at that aquarium."

"You did fine," Percy assured him. "It took all three of us to break that glass."

"Besides, you're a child of Mars," Jason said. "The ghosts of defeated causes are bound to serve you. And the museum in Charleston has _plenty_ of Confederate ghosts. We'll need you to keep them in line."

Frank gulped. Annabeth remembered Percy's comment about Frank turning into a giant goldfish, and she resisted the urge to smile. She would never be able to look at the big guy again without seeing him as a koi.

"Okay." Frank relented. "Sure." He frowned at his fingers, trying to pull them out of the trap. "Uh, how do you—?"

Leo chuckled. "Man, you've never seen those before? There's a simple trick to getting out."

Frank tugged again with no luck. Even Hazel was trying not to laugh. Frank grimaced with concentration. Suddenly, he disappeared. On the deck where he'd been standing, a green iguana crouched next to an empty set of Chinese handcuffs.

"Well done, Frank Zhang," Leo said dryly, doing his impression of Chiron the centaur. "That is exactly how people beat Chinese handcuffs. They turn into iguanas."

Everybody busted out laughing. Frank turned back to human, picked up the handcuffs, and shoved them in his backpack. He managed an embarrassed smile.

"Anyway," Frank said, clearly anxious to change the subject. "The museum is one place to search. But, uh, Jason, you said there were two?" Jason's smile faded. Whatever he was thinking about, Annabeth could tell it wasn't pleasant. "Yeah," he said. "The other place is called the Battery—it's a park right by the harbor. The last time I was there…with Reyna…" He glanced at Riss, who looked unimpressed, then rushed on. "We saw something in the park. A ghost or some sort of spirit, like a Southern belle from the Civil War, glowing and floating along. We tried to approach it, but it disappeared whenever we got close. Then Reyna had this feeling—she said she should try it alone. Like maybe it would only talk to a girl. She went up to the spirit by herself, and sure enough, it spoke to her."

Everyone waited. "What did it say?" Annabeth asked.

"Reyna wouldn't tell me," Jason admitted. "But it must have been important. She seemed…shaken up. Maybe she got a prophecy or some bad news. Reyna never acted the same around me after that."

Annabeth considered that. After their experience with the eidolons, she didn't like the idea of approaching a ghost, especially one that changed people with bad news or prophecies. On the other hand, her mom was the goddess of knowledge, and knowledge was the most powerful weapon. Annabeth couldn't turn down a possible source of information.

"A girls' adventure, then," Annabeth said. "Piper and Hazel can come with me." Both nodded, though Hazel looked nervous. No doubt her time in the Underworld had given her enough ghost experiences for two lifetimes. Annabeth realized that if six of them went on these two quests, it would leave Percy and Riss alone on the ship with Coach Hedge, which was maybe not a situation a caring girlfriend should put him in. Nor was she eager to let Percy out of her sight again—not after they'd been apart for so many months. On the other hand, Percy looked so troubled by his experience with those imprisoned sea creatures, she thought maybe he could use a rest. She met his eyes, asking him a silent question. He nodded as if to say, _Yeah. It'll be fine._

Riss shrugged. "Twin bonding time. I'm down."

"So that's settled." Annabeth turned to Leo, who was studying his console, listening to Festus creak and click over the intercom. "Leo, how long until we reach Charleston?"

"Good question," he muttered. "Festus just detected a large group of eagles behind us—long-range radar, still not in sight."

Piper leaned over the console. "Are you sure they're Roman?"

Leo rolled his eyes. "No, Pipes. It could be a random group of giant eagles flying in perfect formation. Of course they're Roman! I suppose we could turn the ship around and fight—"

"Which would be a very bad idea," Jason said, "and remove any doubt that we're enemies of Rome."

"Or I've got another idea," Leo said. "If we went straight to Charleston, we could be there in a few hours. But the eagles would overtake us, and things would get complicated. _Instead_ , we could send out a decoy to trick the eagles. We take the ship on a detour, go the long way to Charleston, and get there tomorrow morning—"

Hazel started to protest, but Leo raised his hand. "I know, I know. Nico's in trouble and we have to hurry."

"It's June twenty-seventh," Hazel said. "After today, four more days. Then he dies."

"I know! But this might throw the Romans off our trail. We still should have enough time to reach Rome."

Hazel scowled. "When you say _should have enough_ … "

Leo shrugged. "How do you feel about _barely enough_?"

Riss raised her brows, "I'm going to slap you."

Hazel put her face in her hands for a count of three. "Sounds about typical for us."

Annabeth decided to take that as a green light. "Okay, Leo. What kind of decoy are we talking about?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" He punched a few buttons on the console, rotated the turntable, and repeatedly pressed the A button on his Wii controller really, really fast. He called into the intercom, "Buford? Report for duty, please."

Frank took a step back. "There's somebody else on the ship? Who is Buford?"

A puff of steam shot from the stairwell, and Leo's automatic table climbed on deck. Annabeth hadn't seen much of Buford during the trip. He mostly stayed in the engine room. (Leo insisted that Buford had a secret crush on the engine.) He was a three-legged table with a mahogany top. His bronze base had several drawers, spinning gears, and a set of steam vents. Buford was toting a bag like a mail sack tied to one of his legs. He clattered to the helm and made a sound like a train whistle.

Riss immediately hurried over to the table, cooing, "Oh, I missed you, Bu. You've been visiting the engine so much I haven't seen you." She knew she must've looked insane but she didn't care, especially when the table rubbed against her side like a cat.

"This is Buford," Leo announced.

"You name your furniture?" Frank asked.

Leo snorted. "Man, you just _wish_ you had furniture this cool. Buford, are you ready for Operation End Table?"

Buford spewed steam. He stepped to the railing. His mahogany top split into four pie slices, which elongated into wooden blades. The blades spun, and Buford took off.

"A helicopter table," Percy muttered. "Gotta admit, that's cool. What's in the bag?"

"Dirty demigod laundry," Leo said. "I hope you don't mind, Frank."

Frank choked. "What?"

"It'll throw the eagles off our scent."

"Those were my only extra pants!" Leo shrugged. "I asked Buford to get them laundered and folded while he's out. Hopefully he will." He rubbed his hands and grinned. "Well! I call that a good day's work. I'm gonna calculate our detour route now. See you all at dinner!"

Riss nodded slowly, smiling widely, "He's insane. It's _awesome._ "

 **XXXXX**

* * *

 **Riss is getting a bit temperamental with Jason but there was a Jerissa fluff scene.**

 **I hope you liked this chapter and please, FIVE REVIEWS for the next chapter!**

 **~ Raven**


	7. ETA

_**ETA | JASON GRACE IS THREATENED BY TWO GODS OF THE SEA**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

* * *

 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Rosy Fire_** **,** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _luckycgo_** **,** ** _Agazeamongstthestars, TheBooksAreBetterThanTheMovies, Madhatterpotterhead, TheYoLOMan_** **AND** ** _Guest_** **FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I AM SO SORRY I TOOK FOREVER WITH THIS CHAPTER.**

* * *

 **JUST A VERY LONG AUTHOR'S NOTE THAT I'D LIKE YOU, AS A WONDER HUMAN BEING, TO READ:**

I'M ALSO GOING TO SOUND LIKE A MEGA BIATCH BEFORE YOU READ THE CHAPTER BUT THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE TO SAY.

TO WHOEVER THE GUEST IS THAT REVIEWED AS _**riss da marysue**_ (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE, WHETHER YOU'RE STILL READING OR NOT) **I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE IT IF** :

 **A)** YOU DID NOT MAKE COMMENTS ABOUT HOW 'RISS IS A DUMB NAME' AND EXPECT ME TO 'PLZ CHANGE.' MY CHARACTER'S NAME IS _**NERISSA** ,_ WHICH IS A BEAUTIFUL NAME THAT MEANS 'SEA NYMPH' AND I THOUGHT IT WAS MORE ORIGINAL THAN 'MARINA' OR SOMETHING SIMILAR. I LOVE THE NAME MARINA BUT MY CHARACTER IS NERISSA AND IF SHE WAS NAMED ANYTHING DIFFERENT I DON'T THINK SHE WOULD BE HER ANYMORE. I WANTED RISS TO BE A UNIQUE PERSON AND THAT MEANS ALL OF HER, EVEN HER NAME AND HER NICKNAME. I WILL NOT CATER TO JUST ONE PERSON'S OPINION EITHER.

 **B)** YOU REVIEWED THE VERY FIRST CHAPTER OF THE STORY (WHICH IS A _PROLOGUE,_ BY THE WAY, NOT A CHAPTER AND DESIGNED TO BE A _TASTER_ OF THE STORY). HOW THE HADES DO YOU KNOW IF RISS IS A MARY SUE OR TOO POWERFUL? DID YOU EVEN READ _ATLANTIC_ BEFORE YOU BEGAN JUDGING ME ON MY CHARACTERS WITHOUT GIVING ME SIGNIFICANT REASON FOR _**WHY** _ YOU DO NOT LIKE MY STORY?

AND **C)** BEFORE YOU POSTED A NASTY REVIEW, THAT YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE WRITING AND HOW IT WOULD EFFECT THE AUTHOR, MAYBE EXPLAIN _WHY_ YOU DO NOT LIKE THE CHARACTERS OR PLOT LINE SO THAT THE AUTHOR CAN WORK ON IT AND **_IMPROVE AS A WRITER_** AND PLEASE _WRITE WITH CORRECT SPELLING AND PUNCTUATION._ IF YOUR ONLY ISSUE WITH A STORY IS THE CHARACTER, SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY'RE A 'MARY SUE' **_STOP READING_**.

I SURE AS HADES DON'T WANT YOU READING SOMETHING YOU DON'T WANT TO AND BEING HORRIBLE ABOUT IT. I LOSE NOTHING IF YOU STOP READING AFTER THE FIRST CHAPTER BUT I BEGIN TO LOSE MY CONFIDENCE AND LOVE OF WRITING IF YOU POST A NASTY REVIEW ON MY STORY AND DON'T CARE HOW IT'S GOING TO AFFECT ME. I MAY NOT HAVE MY REAL NAME ON MY PROFILE AND YOU MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO LOOK ME IN THE EYE WHEN YOU REVIEW **BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT I AM NOT A HUMAN BEING AND THAT I DO NOT HAVE FEELINGS**.

* * *

I'M DONE NOW. SORRY FOR THE RANT BUT I NEEDED TO GET THAT OFF MY CHEST. MAYBE I'M JUST BEING EXTRA-SENSITIVE AND I INTERPRETED IT WRONG BUT I WAS A BIT HURT. I INVESTED A LOT OF TIME IN THIS STORY AND I AIM TO MAKE SURE THAT MY CHARACTERS AREN'T MARY SUES. BUT THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE WHO SUPPORTS THIS STORY AND TELLS ME WHERE TO FIX THINGS. I REALLY APPRECIATE CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM AND I WILL NOT GET DAMN PISSY IF YOU GIVE ME LEGITIMATE ADVICE TO MAKE ME A BETTER WRITER.

I HOPE I HAVEN'T SCARED YOU ALL AWAY.

* * *

Percy passed out early, which left Annabeth with nothing to do in the evening except stare at her computer. She'd brought Daedalus' laptop with her, of course. Two years ago, she'd inherited the machine from the greatest inventor of all time, and it was loaded with invention ideas, schematics, and diagrams, most of which Annabeth was still trying to figure out. Riss wasn't able to help with that but she could help with distracting her friend when she became (slightly) obsessed and forgot to eat.

After two years, a typical laptop would have been out of date, but Annabeth figured Daedalus' machine was still about fifty years ahead of its time. It could expand into a full-size laptop, shrink into a tablet computer, or fold into a wafer of metal smaller than a cell phone. It ran faster than any computer she'd ever had, could access satellites or Hephaestus-TV broadcasts from Mount Olympus, and ran custom-made programs that could do just about anything except tie shoelaces. There might have been an app for that, too, but Annabeth hadn't found it yet.

She sat on her bunk beside Riss, who was dozing off, using one of Daedalus' 3-D-rendering programs to study a model of the Parthenon in Athens. She'd always yearned to visit it, both because she loved architecture and because it was the most famous temple to her mother. Now she might get her wish, if they lived long enough to reach Greece. But the more she thought about the Mark of Athena, and the old Roman legend Reyna had mentioned, the more nervous she got.

She didn't want to, but she recalled her argument with her mother. Even after so many weeks, the words still stung.

Annabeth had been riding the subway back from the Upper East Side after visiting Percy's mom. During those long months when Percy was missing, Annabeth made the trip at least once a week—partly to give Sally Jackson and her husband Paul an update on the search, and partly because Annabeth and Sally needed to lift each other's spirits and convince one another that Percy would be fine. Riss tried to visit as often as she could but she had commitments to be at school and look after Piper, Leo and Jason too.

The spring had been especially hard. By then, Annabeth had reason to hope Percy was alive, since Hera's plan seemed to involve sending him to the Roman side, but she couldn't be sure where he was. Jason had remembered his old camp's location more or less, but all the Greeks' magic—even that of the campers of Hecate's cabin—couldn't confirm that Percy was there, or anywhere. He seemed to have disappeared from the planet.

Rachel the Oracle had tried to read the future, and while she couldn't see much, she'd been certain that Leo needed to finish the _Argo II_ before they could contact the Romans. Nevertheless, Annabeth had spent every spare moment scouring all sources for any rumors of Percy. She had talked to nature spirits, read legends about Rome, dug for clues on Daedalus' notebook, and spent hundreds of golden drachmas on Iris-messages to every friendly spirit, demigod, or monster she'd ever met, all with no luck.

That particular afternoon, coming back from Sally's, Annabeth had felt even more drained than usual. She and Sally had first cried and then attempted to pull themselves together, but their nerves were frayed.

Finally Annabeth took the Lexington Avenue subway down to Grand Central. There were other ways to get back to her high school dorm from the Upper East Side, but Annabeth liked going through Grand Central Terminal. The beautiful design and the vast open space reminded her of Mount Olympus. Grand buildings made her feel better—maybe because being in a place so permanent made _her_ feel more permanent. She had just passed Sweet on America, the candy shop where Percy's mom used to work, and was thinking about going inside to buy some blue candy for old times' sake, when she saw Athena studying the subway map on the wall.

"Mother!" Annabeth couldn't believe it. She hadn't seen her mom in months—not since Zeus had closed the gates of Olympus and forbidden all communication with demigods. Many times, Annabeth had tried to call on her mom anyway, pleading for guidance, sending up burnt offerings with every meal at camp.

She'd had no response. Now here was Athena, dressed in jeans and hiking boots and a red flannel shirt, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders. She held a backpack and a walking stick like she was prepared for a long journey.

"I must return home," Athena murmured, studying the map. "The way is complex. I wish Odysseus were here. He would understand."

"Mom!" Annabeth said. "Athena!"

The goddess turned. She seemed to look right through Annabeth with no recognition. "That was my name," the goddess said dreamily. "Before they sacked my city, took my identity, made me _this_." She looked at her clothes in disgust. "I must return home."

Annabeth stepped back in shock. "You're…you're Minerva?"

"Don't call me that!" The goddess's gray eyes flared with anger. "I used to carry a spear and a shield. I held victory in the palm of my hand. I was so much more than this."

"Mom." Annabeth's voice trembled. "It's me, Annabeth. Your _daughter_."

"My daughter…" Athena repeated. "Yes, my children will avenge me. They must destroy the Romans. Horrible, dishonorable, copycat Romans. Hera argued that we must keep the two camps apart. I said, No, let them fight. Let my children destroy the usurpers."

Annabeth's heartbeat thumped in her ears. "You _wanted_ that? But you're wise. You understand warfare better than any—"

Once!" the goddess said. "Replaced. Sacked. Looted like a trophy and carted off—away from my beloved homeland. I lost so much. I swore I would never forgive. Neither would my children." She focused more closely on Annabeth. "You are my daughter?"

"Yes."

The goddess fished something from the pocket of her shirt—an old-fashioned subway token—and pressed it into Annabeth's hand. "Follow the Mark of Athena," the goddess said. "Avenge me."

Annabeth had looked at the coin. As she watched, it changed from a New York subway token to an ancient silver drachma, the kind used by Athenians. It showed an owl, Athena's sacred animal, with an olive branch on one side and a Greek inscription on the other. _The Mark of Athena_.

At the time, Annabeth had had no idea what it meant. She didn't understand why her mom was acting like this. Minerva or not, she shouldn't be so confused.

"Mom…" She tried to make her tone as reasonable as possible. "Percy is missing. I need your help."

She had started to explain Hera's plan for bringing the camps together to battle Gaea and the giants, but the goddess stamped her walking stick against the marble floor.

"Never!" she said. "Anyone who helps Rome must perish. If you would join them, you are no child of mine. You have already failed me."

"Mother!"

"I care nothing about this _Percy_. If he has gone over to the Romans, let him perish. Kill him. Kill all the Romans. Find the Mark, follow it to its source. Witness how Rome has disgraced me, and pledge your vengeance."

"Athena isn't the goddess of revenge." Annabeth's nails bit into her palms. The silver coin seemed to grow warmer in her hand. "Percy is everything to me."

"And revenge is everything to me," the goddess snarled. "Which of us is wiser?"

"Something is _wrong_ with you. What's happened?"

"Rome happened!" the goddess said bitterly. "See what they have done, making a _Roman_ of me. They wish me to be their goddess? Then let them taste their own evil. Kill them, child."

"No!"

"Then you are nothing." The goddess turned to the subway map. Her expression softened, becoming confused and unfocused. "If I could find the route…the way home, then perhaps— But, no. Avenge me or leave me. You are no child of mine."

Annabeth's eyes stung. She thought of a thousand horrible things she wanted to say, but she couldn't. She had turned and fled. She'd tried to throw away the silver coin, but it simply reappeared in her pocket, the way Riptide did for Percy.

Unfortunately, Annabeth's drachma had no magical powers—at least nothing useful. It only gave her nightmares, and no matter what she tried, she couldn't get rid of it. Now, sitting in her cabin aboard the _Argo II_ , she could feel the coin growing warm in her pocket. She was starting to become worried about Riss and Jason. Jason was a Roman and Riss displayed more Roman qualities than Greek ones – where they in danger from this _Mark of Athena_?

She stared at the model of the Parthenon on her computer screen and thought about the argument with Athena. Phrases she'd heard over the last few days swirled in her head: _A talented friend, ready for her visitor. No one will retrieve that statue. Wisdom's daughter walks alone._

Annabeth was afraid she finally understood what it all meant. She prayed to the gods that she was wrong. A knock on her door made her jump and Riss woke with a start. Annabeth hoped it might be Percy, but instead Frank Zhang poked his head in.

"Um, sorry," he said. "Could I—?"

She was so startled to see him, it took her a moment to realize he wanted to come in. "Sure," she said. "Yes."

He stepped inside, looking around the cabin. There wasn't much to see. On her desk sat a stack of books, a journal and pen, and a picture of her dad flying his Sopwith Camel biplane, grinning and giving the thumbs-up.

Annabeth liked that photo. It reminded her of the time she'd felt closest to him, when he'd strafed an army of monsters with Celestial bronze machine guns just to protect her—pretty much the best present a girl could hope for. Hanging from a hook on the wall was her New York Yankees cap, her most prized possession from her mom. Once, the cap had had the power to turn its wearer invisible. Since Annabeth's argument with Athena, the cap had lost its magic. Annabeth wasn't sure why, but she'd stubbornly brought it along on the quest.

Every morning she would try it on, hoping it would work again. So far it had only served as a reminder of her mother's wrath. Otherwise, her cabin was bare. She kept it clean and simple, which helped her to think. Percy didn't believe it because she always made excellent grades, but like most demigods, she was ADHD. When there were too many distractions in her personal space, she was never able to focus.

"So…Frank," she ventured. "What can I do for you?"

Riss rolled her eyes, "Annie, you're not a counselor. Just be like the teenager you are." She flicked her eyes to Frank's, "What's up, Frankie?"

Frank smiled, glad that he was getting a bit closer with Riss. Percy had helped him out so much and in a way, the Zhang boy felt indebted to both Jackson twins.

Out of all the kids on the ship, Frank was the one she thought least likely to pay her a visit. She didn't feel any less confused when he blushed and pulled his Chinese handcuffs out of his pocket.

"I don't like being in the dark about this," he muttered. "Could you show me the trick? I didn't feel comfortable asking anyone else."

Annabeth processed his words with a slight delay. Wait…Frank was asking _her_ for help? Then it dawned on her: of course, Frank was embarrassed. Leo had been razzing him pretty hard. Nobody liked being a laughingstock. Frank's determined expression said he never wanted that to happen again. He wanted to understand the puzzle, without the iguana solution. Annabeth felt strangely honored. Frank trusted her not to make fun of him. Besides, she had a soft spot for anyone who was seeking knowledge—even about something as simple as Chinese handcuffs.

Riss moved and patted the bunk, gesturing for him to take her spot next to Annabeth. "Sit down, Annie will help. And don't worry about Leo, he means well, he just doesn't have a filter…at all."

Frank sat on the edge of the mattress, as if preparing for a quick escape. Annabeth took the Chinese handcuffs and held them next to her computer. She hit the key for an infrared scan. A few seconds later a 3-D model of the Chinese handcuffs appeared on the screen. She turned the laptop so that Frank could see.

"How did you do that?" he marveled.

"Cutting-edge Ancient Greek technology," she said. "Okay, look. The structure is a cylindrical biaxial braid, so it has excellent resilience." She manipulated the image so it squeezed in and out like an accordion. "When you put your fingers inside, it loosens. But when you try to remove them, the circumference shrinks as the braid catches and tightens. There's no way you can pull free by struggling."

Frank stared at her blankly. "But what's the answer?"

"Well…" She showed him some of her calculations—how the handcuffs could resist tearing under incredible stress, depending on the material used in the braid. "Pretty amazing for a woven structure, right? Doctors use it for traction, and electrical contractors—"

"Uh, but the answer?"

"She's so complicated."

Annabeth laughed. "You don't fight _against_ the handcuffs. You push your fingers in, not out. That loosens the braid."

"Oh." Frank tried it. It worked. "Thanks, but…couldn't you have just shown me on the handcuffs without the 3-D program and the calculations?"

Annabeth hesitated. Sometimes wisdom came from strange places, even from giant teenaged goldfish. "I guess you're right. That was silly. I learned something too."

Frank tried the handcuffs again. "It's easy when you know the solution."

"Many of the best traps are simple," Annabeth said. "You just have to think about it, and hope your victim doesn't."

Frank nodded. He seemed reluctant to leave.

"You know," Annabeth said, "Leo doesn't intend to be mean. He's just got a big mouth. When people make him nervous, he uses humor as a defense."

Frank frowned. "Why would I make him nervous?"

"You're twice his size. You can turn into a dragon."

Riss pointed out her fingers adding, "You're the son of the _war_ god. You can sass Leo just as much as he sasses you."

Frank didn't look convinced. "Leo can summon fire." He twisted the handcuffs. "Annabeth…sometime, maybe could you help me with another problem that's not so simple? I've got…I guess you'd call it an Achilles' heel."

Annabeth felt like she'd just had a drink of Roman hot chocolate. She'd never really gotten the term _warm and fuzzy_ , but Frank gave her that sensation. He was just a big teddy bear. She could see why Hazel liked him.

Riss stuck out her tongue. She hated Achilles' heels. They weren't always physical, like Percy's small of his back, but they were mental and emotional. Gaea was repeatedly stabbing at hers in her dreams – the love of her friends and family.

"I'd be happy to," she said. "Does anyone else know about this Achilles' heel?"

"Percy and Hazel," he said. "That's it. Percy…he's a really good guy. I would follow him anywhere. Thought you should know."

Riss grinned, winking at Frank, "Perce has had his fair share of Achilles' heels. But I'm glad that my brother has your loyalty. He needs it."

Frank smiled back at Riss and Annabeth patted his arm. "Percy has a knack for picking good friends. Like you. But, Frank, you can trust anyone on this ship. Even Leo. We're all a team. We have to trust each other."

"I—I suppose."

"So what's the weakness you're worried about?"

The dinner bell sounded, and Frank jumped. "Maybe…maybe later," he said. "It's hard to talk about. But thanks. And Annabeth," he held up the Chinese handcuffs, "keep it simple."

Riss began to get up, stretching out her lithe body. Annabeth watched quietly, beginning to note the similarities between Riss and Percy in her mind – Riss was Annabeth's best friend, like a sister to her, and she knew that no matter what, the daughter of Poseidon would support her. Even if it meant going against their friends.

But that was who Riss was. She prioritized everyone before herself but she would _never_ prioritize Annabeth or Percy last. The blonde bit her lip and Riss turned her eyes on her.

"I love you, Annie," the dark-haired girl smiled sweetly. "You're my best friend and I'm going to be here for you when you need me – whether you're going up against a monster or you just want to talk, I'm here."

The Chase girl smiled gratefully, knowing that the single action wouldn't be able to express her absolute thankfulness to Riss but the daughter of Poseidon smiled again and headed out of the cabin for dinner, leaving Annabeth to trail behind her and deal with the swirling thoughts in her mind.

 **XXXXX**

Jason had fallen asleep to a heavy heart and something akin to a nervous twitch. _Let her breathe_ , Annabeth had advised. _She'll forgive you, just give her time_ , Piper had told him. _Don't get anywhere near her sword_ , Percy had simply stated and Jason had to admit, he wasn't extremely at ease after that.

What had been even more troubling was what Riss had scrawled onto a napkin at dinner. She'd almost fallen face-first into her food as her eyes started glowing bright green but Annabeth had kept her upright. As soon as the glow had left her eyes, Riss had immediately asked for a pen and wrote something down. She didn't meet his eyes as she slid it along the table to Jason.

 _Tonight_ , it had read and was signed with a name that made Jason almost throw up his dinner, _Poseidon_.

Now, Jason was dreading falling asleep. He had seen Riss angry and gods had that been terrifying. He didn't want to have a meeting with Poseidon, especially after he had angered the sea god's only demigod daughter. Jason tossed and turned in his bed, huffing after a few moments. He couldn't get comfortable enough to fall asleep and the Grace boy had a sneaking suspicion why he couldn't.

For the past few months, Jason had grown accustomed to sharing a bed with Nerissa Jackson. Even with her tendency to sprawl out and hog the bed, and even to yank the pillow out from Jason's head to cuddle, Jason had gotten used to her comforting warmth and the way that whenever he was having a nightmare, she seemed to know.

He'd whimper in his sleep or shift before waking up and in her sleep, Riss would curl her body in Jason's, holding him close and nuzzling her nose into his neck. Gods, did he love it when she did that and Jason always thought that he was absolutely blessed that it was _him_ that Riss kissed and hugged and lay beside at night.

Nerissa Jackson was a gorgeous girl, inside and out and even when they weren't _actually_ dating, Jason would always become jealous and slightly possessive when others flirted with her. Riss didn't receive many people flirting with her at camp – to be honest, the other demigods respected her far too much to degrade her by wolf-whistling or making crude comments – but outside of camp, boys thought she was fair game.

Even with Jason's arm around her shoulders as he walked beside her.

The first time someone had flirted with her, Jason had seen red and his hand had inched to his pocket, for his golden coin. Riss had smiled stiffly at the boy (who was a right jerk) and had tilted her head, showing her scar and kissed Jason deeply. He hadn't missed a beat, responding in earnest and by the time they pulled apart, the boy was already wandering back over to his snickering group of friends.

He had assumed with his bronze-hair and caramel eyes that he would be able to charm sea-green-eyed girl to be with him, instead of Jason but when Riss had looked at him, she had seen brown hair, brown eyes and a crooked nose that hinted at past breakage. The boy had been plain and boring; severely unimpressive compared to her Jason.

Riss had said as much to him but the son of Jupiter had refused to let her go until they were quite a few metres away from the boys, walking along the street. Jason had blushed hotly at Riss' loud laughter and teases about how if Jason had run the boys through, Chiron would never let the pair go to the movies ever again without an escort.

That was probably in that moment that Jason Grace realised that he was head-over-heels for Nerissa Jackson and with a smile playing on his lips, Jason finally succumbed to sleep.

 **XXXXX**

Poseidon was already there when Jason appeared in the dream. The sea god was seated on a small, blue throne in an otherwise entirely white room. He did not look impressed and neither did the man standing beside him – or more like, _swimming_ beside him.

Jason realised that the entire room was filled to the brim with water and that the man – who looked remarkably like Percy and Riss. His eyes were sea-green, although darker than the Jackson twins', and his black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.

Jason tried not to stare at the man's twin fish-tails.

"Lord Poseidon," Jason greeted. He turned his head to the man beside Poseidon, finally putting a name to the face. "Lord Triton."

Triton huffed and Jason gulped. _I have a sea god for a father and a sea god, a Cyclops and a powerful twin who was offered immortality for brothers_ , Riss had said once, _pray that you never get them angry._

Jason figured he'd gotten them angry.

"If my sister did not care for you," Triton's voice was deep, "I would turn you into a _dolphin_."

The son of Jupiter supposed that his father wouldn't like that all too much. His Roman son living under the sea as a creature that pulled the sea god's chariot. "T—thank you, Lord Triton."

The twin-tailed merman pulled a face, "Do not thank me. I wish only to make my little sister happy and you seem to be able to do that… _occasionally_."

Jason swallowed. He didn't doubt it. Riss had told him all about the sibling rivalry between Triton and Percy as they attempted to prove their worth to their father but she did say that both sons of Poseidon would do anything for their siblings. Tyson was quickly accepted by Triton and he also proved to be absolutely dedicated to keeping his younger – and only – sister happy.

The son of Jupiter also deeply regretted making Riss upset with him already and his talk with the two gods made him feel even worse. Jason was desperately trying to gather the courage to apologize to Riss and speaking to her father and brother was making that gathered bravery dissipate.

Poseidon nodded his head, "I agree with my son. Prove to us that you _truly_ care for Riss." He turned his sharp eyes onto Jason and the demigod felt two inches tall but he met the sea god's eyes evenly. "We'll be watching you."

Jason disappeared, having been dismissed by the sea god.

Trion hummed, swishing his tails, "He has heart. I see why my sister likes him. And it seems that he does truly care for her. The Fates made a good match."

"My beloved daughter has a big heart and although she can hold a grudge like a god, she also forgives those she cares for far too easily," Poseidon commented. "I just fear that when she discovers the entirety of what she now is, she will not be as forgiving of _me_."

Riss had forgiven Luke Castellan, despite almost being killed by him many times, as she still saw some good in him – the good that she had seen when he had accepted her and Percy into the Hermes' Cabin and had looked after them. Poseidon had noted that his daughter had also given half of Luke's Camp Half-Blood necklace to Annabeth and had strung the other half of the beads onto her own necklace.

"I trust that she will see why you have kept her destiny from her, father," Triton said firmly.

"I hope so, son."

 **XXXXX**

Riss woke in the middle of the night to a warm body slipping into bed with her. She was still angry but she knew exactly who it was and didn't kick him out.

"I'm sorry," Jason whispered into the dark room. He pressed his lips to Riss' bare shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses beside the strap of her singlet. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Riss grumbled at him quietly, completely awake now. Admittedly, she hadn't been sleeping well anyway but she didn't like to be woken. "Oh, shut up, Jase. I'm trying to sleep."

Jason smiled, something Riss could feel against the back of her neck. Jason leant up, pressing more kisses along the side of her throat, twining his arms around her waist. "I'm sorry, Neri."

"I know."

The Grace boy smiled in relief, pressing closer to Riss' back as the girl's breathing evened out as she slipped back into sleep. _I know_. That meant that she wasn't mad at him anymore but she had not entirely forgiven him. He could live with that – it just meant that Jason would get the chance to heal the rift between them.

 **XXXXX**

Riss woke up, comfortably warm and wrapped in a tight embrace as Leo docked the ship at a pier in Charleston Harbor, right next to the seawall. She could feel it – the ocean, that is – and the girl promptly woke Jason so that she could go swimming. Jason just lay there in bed, laughing quietly as Riss almost flew around the room to gather her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom for a few moments.

She reappeared seconds later and was met with Jason's bare chest. She blushed hotly as Jason twined his arms around Riss' waist and pulled her tight against him. "Good morning."

Riss wriggled out of Jason's hold and slapped his chest lightly. She immediately regretted it as she felt heat rise in her chest. _Gods, he was hot—_ Riss shook her head. "Jase! Hurry up and get out. I want to swim!"

The pair stopped by Jason's cabin to allow him to get changed before Riss was on deck and by the railing, staring out over the beautiful expanse of blue which rippled with the light ocean breeze. Riss sighed in contentment, feeling Jason sidle up her. He was still tentative, not knowing the limits of Riss' half-forgiveness of him and merely brushed his fingers against her back, feeling the bumps of her spine through the thin fabric of her tank top.

They stood there, happily relaxed for a few minutes before Leo walked over. He apologized for breaking up the 'love-fest' as he hugged Riss good morning and told Jason that they had to leave for the museum. Jason looked vaguely annoyed before he pressed a loving kiss to Riss' cheek – he didn't dare kiss her on the lips – and left with Leo and Frank. Riss smiled sweetly and turned back to stare at the ocean.

She was only alone for ten minutes before Percy joined her. The twins stared out over the bay in silence before Riss spoke up. "I spoke to dad."

Percy brightened, "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Riss confirmed. She didn't look away from the view. "He's…he's really proud of us, Perce. He loves us so much even with all the shit going on and he's been visiting mom – making sure she knows what's happening and that we're safe."

"I miss her."

"I do too. But after this…Camp Half-Blood or Camp Jupiter – anywhere you wanna go, you and Annie can. I can see it now; University degrees – you as a marine biologist and Annie as an architect – a small house by the ocean, kids."

Percy smiled softly. He wanted that. He really did and before seeing Camp Jupiter, he would've never thought it was possible. "And you, Neri?"

"I don't know, Perce. Everything is so different… _I'm_ different."

There was a lapse in conversation. They didn't speak again, just standing close until Annabeth walked over to them. Piper and Hazel were ready to go but first Annabeth turned to Percy and Riss.

Annabeth took her boyfriend's hand but addressed both of the Jacksons. "What are you two going to do while we're gone?"

"Jump into the harbor," Percy said casually. "I want to try communicating with the local Nereids. Maybe they can give me some advice about how to free those captives in Atlanta. Besides, I think the sea might be good for me. Being in that aquarium made me feel…unclean."

His hair was dark and tangled as usual, but Annabeth thought about the streak of gray he used to have on one side. When the two of them were fourteen, they'd taken turns (unwillingly) holding the weight of the sky. The strain left them both with some gray hair. Over the last year, while Percy had been missing, the gray streaks had finally disappeared from both of them, which made Annabeth sad and a little worried. She felt like she'd lost a symbolic bond with Percy.

Riss smiled at the pair, adoring that she could _see_ the love they felt for each other. She snapped out of her thoughts and answered her friend. "I'm going to try to IM Chiron. I'm hoping he can help me with… _something_." Her eyes fixed on Percy, warning him to keep his mouth shut. "Then I'll probably swim for a bit. We'll have to race, Perce, think you can win?"

Percy smirked, confident in his swimming ability and nodded, "Sure, Neri. Just don't complain when I leave you behind."

Annabeth laughed at the Jackson twins' antics and kissed Percy. "Good luck, Seaweed Brain, Riss is going to kick your ass. Just come back to me, okay?"

"I will," he promised. "You do the same."

Riss reached out to squeeze Annabeth's shoulder. "I'll make sure of it. Stay safe, all three of you."

Annabeth tried to push down her growing unease. She turned to Piper and Hazel who had both quickly hugged Riss and were waiting for Annabeth. "Okay, ladies. Let's find the ghost of the Battery."

 **XXXXX**

"I don't care, horse-butt, I need answers!"

Chiron sighed, looking torn, " _And I cannot give them to you, Nerissa_."

Riss muttered a few choice words under her breath – ones that would make anyone who spoke Latin wince. Like Chiron did. "Chiron, I thought you could tell me the truth. If one more person – god or otherwise – mentions the words 'connection,' 'powerful,' or 'more than you seem,' I'm going to scream."

She had filled Chiron in on all of the odd things happening to her – the ability to 'see' all demigods and something relatively new, her powers were beginning to react to the level of power of the other demigods in her vicinity – and the old centaur had been unable to tell her _why_ she was changing.

Frustrated, Riss rolled her eyes, "Fine. I won't push. Say 'hi' to everyone for me."

She hung up the IM before Chiron could answer and hurried onto the deck. Percy stood there, arms folded over his chest, waiting for his twin to arrive. He grinned as soon as he saw his sister and Riss rolled her eyes.

The pair jumped into the bay, swimming around aimlessly. They communicated briefly with the Nereids – who all flirted with Percy – and Riss rescued him from there before they became more curious. The twins raced each other and relaxed, feeling at ease for the first time in a while. Life in the ocean was peaceful until Annabeth's knife fell into the sea with a _plop_ and lazily floated down to the twins.

" _Romans_ ," Riss murmured and Percy nodded. They swam upwards and together, the Charleston Harbor erupted like a Las Vegas fountain putting on a show. When the wall of seawater subsided, Riss noticed the three Romans were in the bay, spluttering and frantically trying to stay afloat in their armor.

Percy stood on the dock, holding Annabeth's dagger and Riss stood beside him, snickering into her hand at the sight of the flailing Romans.

"You dropped this," Percy said, totally poker-faced and Riss burst into laughter.

Annabeth threw her arms around him. "I love you!"

"Guys," Hazel interrupted. She had a little smile on her face. "We need to hurry."

Down in the water, Octavian yelled, "Get me out of here! I'll kill you!"

"Tempting," Percy called down.

"What?" Octavian shouted. He was holding on to one of his guards, who was having trouble keeping them both afloat.

"Nothing!" Percy shouted back. "Let's go, guys."

Hazel frowned. "We can't let them drown, can we?"

"They won't," Percy promised. "I've got the water circulating around their feet. As soon as we're out of range, I'll spit them ashore."

"Literally," Riss added with a smirk. "With my power added to Percy's, they'll be thrown ten feet and then it's all up to gravity."

Piper grinned. "Nice."

They climbed aboard the _Argo II_ , and Annabeth ran to the helm. "Piper, get below. Use the sink in the galley for an Iris-message. Warn Jason to get back here!" Piper nodded and raced off. "Hazel, go find Coach Hedge and tell him to get his furry hindquarters on deck!"

"Right!"

"Riss, I need you to make sure no one gets near us. Use the water."

Riss mock-saluted, "Aye, aye, Captain." She immediately dashed away and the water surrounding the Romans swirled up like a funnel, encasing them in an air-filled bubble before Riss flattened her hand, palm facing forward, at the water. It froze solid and Riss grinned, "One limited edition, ice-ball Kinder Surprise. The surprise is the still-living Romans inside it."

"And Percy—you and I need to get this ship to Fort Sumter."

Percy nodded and ran to the mast. Annabeth took the helm. Her hands flew across the controls. She'd just have to hope she knew enough to operate them.

Annabeth had seen Percy control full-sized sailing ships before with only his willpower. This time, he didn't disappoint. Ropes flew on their own—releasing the dock ties, weighing the anchor. The sails unfurled and caught the wind. Meanwhile Annabeth fired the engine. The oars extended with a sound like machine-gun fire, and the _Argo II_ turned from the dock, heading for the island in the distance.

The three eagles still circled overhead, but they made no attempt to land on the ship, probably because Festus the figurehead blew fire whenever they got close. More eagles were flying in formation toward Fort Sumter—at least a dozen. If each of them carried a Roman demigod…that was a lot of enemies.

Coach Hedge came pounding up the stairs with Hazel at his hooves. "Where are they?" he demanded. "Who do I kill?"

"No killing!" Annabeth ordered. "Just defend the ship!"

"But they interrupted a Chuck Norris movie!"

"Who cares, Gleeson!?"

Piper emerged from below. "Got a message through to Jason. Kind of fuzzy, but he's already on his way. He should be—oh! There!"

Riss breathed out quickly, "Thank the gods."

Soaring over the city, heading in their direction, was a giant bald eagle, unlike the golden Roman birds.

"Frank!" Hazel said. Leo was holding on to the eagle's feet, and even from the ship, Annabeth could hear him screaming and cursing. Behind them flew Jason, riding the wind.

"Never seen Jason fly before," Percy grumbled. "He looks like a blond Superman."

Riss looked somewhat dreamy, "He sure does."

"This isn't the time!" Piper scolded them both. "Look, they're in trouble!"

Sure enough, the Roman flying chariot had descended from a cloud and was diving straight toward them. Jason and Frank veered out of the way, pulling up to avoid getting trampled by the pegasi. The charioteers fired their bows. Arrows whistled under Leo's feet, which led to more screaming and cursing. Jason and Frank were forced to overshoot the _Argo II_ and fly toward Fort Sumter.

"I'll get 'em!" yelled Coach Hedge. He spun the port ballista.

Before Annabeth could yell, "Don't be stupid!" Hedge fired. A flaming spear rocketed toward the chariot. It exploded over the heads of the pegasi and threw them into a panic.

Unfortunately it also singed Frank's wings and sent him spiraling out of control. Leo slipped from his grasp. The chariot shot toward Fort Sumter, slamming into Jason.

Riss watched in horror as Jason—obviously dazed and in pain—lunged for Leo, caught him, then struggled to gain altitude. He only managed to slow their fall. They disappeared behind the ramparts of the fort. Frank tumbled after them. Then the chariot dropped somewhere inside and hit with a bone-shattering _CRACK_! One broken wheel spun into the air.

"Coach!" Piper screamed.

"What?" Hedge demanded. "That was just a warning shot!"

"Put. The. Cannon. Away!" Riss growled warningly and summoned her bow. She notched an arrow. "Let's think _defense_ , not _offense_. Annie?"

"Yeah?" Annabeth asked as she gunned the engines. The hull shuddered as they picked up speed. The docks of the island were only a hundred yards away now, but a dozen more eagles were soaring overhead, each carrying a Roman demigod in its claws.

The _Argo II_ 's crew would be outnumbered at least three to one.

"I'm going to go," Riss was already heading to the starboard side of the ship. "I can use the water to find the boys."

"Okay! Just be safe," Annabeth called back. She trusted that Riss could find the boys _and_ stay safe. Without letting anyone tell her not to, Riss jumped over the railing. The water reached up, swallowing her and propelling her to shore. The blonde turned to her boyfriend, "Percy, we're going to come in hard. I need you to control the water so we don't smash into the docks. Once we're there, you're going to have to hold off the attackers. The rest of you help him guard the ship."

"But—Jason and Riss!" Piper said.

"Frank and Leo!" Hazel added.

"I'll find them," Annabeth promised. "I've got to figure out where the map is. And I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who can do that."

"The fort is crawling with Romans," Percy warned. "You'll have to fight your way through, find our friends— assuming they're okay—find this map, and get everybody back alive. All on your own?"

"Just an average day." Annabeth kissed him. "Whatever you do, don't let them take this ship!"

 **XXXXX**

The new Civil War had begun.

Leo had somehow escaped his fall unharmed. Annabeth saw him ducking from portico to portico, blasting fire at the giant eagles swooping down on him. Roman demigods tried to chase him, tripping over piles of cannonballs and dodging tourists, who screamed and ran in circles.

Tour guides kept yelling, "It's just a reenactment!" Though they didn't sound sure. The Mist could only do so much to change what mortals saw.

In the middle of the courtyard, a full-grown elephant—could that be Frank?—rampaged around the flagpoles, scattering Roman warriors. Jason stood about fifty yards away, sword-fighting with a stocky centurion whose lips were stained cherry red, like blood. A wannabe vampire, or maybe a Kool-Aid freak?

As Annabeth watched, Jason yelled, "Sorry about this, Dakota!"

He vaulted straight over the centurion's head like an acrobat and slammed the hilt of his _gladius_ into the back of the Roman's head. Dakota crumpled.

"Jason!" Annabeth called. He scanned the battlefield until he saw her. She pointed to where the _Argo II_ was docked. "Get the others aboard! Retreat!"

"What about you?" he called.

"Find Riss! Don't wait for me!" Annabeth bolted off before he could protest and Jason was left standing in the middle of a battle. He twisted, searching for a flash of black amid the fighting but he couldn't see Riss at all.

"Riss!" Jason yelled over the sound of explosions and the screeches of tourists. " _Neri_!"

Suddenly, there were multiple screams of pain and the earth began to shake. Directly in the center of a staggering group of Romans, Riss stood tall. Her eyes were glowing like emerald flames, burning through the minds of Romans as she extracted information from them and left them to fall to the shaking ground, holding their ears.

Nerissa Jackson was deadly and dangerous.

And Jason had never thought she looked more gorgeous.

" _Fear the Pacalis Necto_ , _the goddess that will bring your puny empire to the ground_ ," Riss hissed, eyes still glowing, her words not her own. Her voice reverberated within the heads of all of the Romans and they screeched in pain, faltering beneath the daughter of Poseidon's power.

But all good things had to come to an end.

Nerissa's knees crumpled beneath her, sending her body curving towards the ground. The girl's head hit the ground and the world went black.

 **XXXXX**

" _We must hurry. She is finding herself. We mustn't allow her to reach her full potential._ "

 **XXXXX**

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 **I'M REALLY SORRY FOR THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER. I WAS SO PUMPED THIS MORNING TO FINISH WRITING MY CHAPTER AND POSTING IT AND I WOKE UP TO THAT REVIEW. I KNOW IT'S NOT THE WORST I COULD GET BUT I JUST NEEDED TO RANT.**

 **I WILL NOT TOLERATE HATE.** **IF YOU DON'T LIKE MY STORY OR ME, DON'T READ MY WORK. THAT'S IT. THAT'S ALL YOU'VE GOT TO DO. I KNOW THAT BOTH MY STORIES AND MYSELF ARE ACQUIRED TASTES.**

 **Okay, positivity:**

 **I love Nerissa and Annabeth's dynamic, it gives me life. I'm playing on how Annabeth and Percy balance each other out, extending that to Riss. She can be just as reckless as Percy but she provides a more feminine perspective and acts as a sort of mediator between Percy and Annabeth.**

 **Jerissa also gives me life. I dare someone to argue with me.**

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! FIVE REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER PLEASE!**

 **~ Raven**


	8. THETA

**_THETA | THE BAND OF DEMIGODS EXPERIENCING NEAR DEATH...FEATURING: SHRIMPZILLA_**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Rosy Fire_** **,** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _luckycgo_** **,** ** _Agazeamongstthestars, PJO Super fan,_** ** _RavenDeathGirl0909, Spunky89, DaughterofWar03,_** **** ** _werecutietate,_** ** _Madhatterpotterhead,_** ** _Arianna Le Fay,_** ** _Phoenixfire_ _Produtions_ _,_** **_DreamHunterVo_** **AND** ** _Guest_** **FOR YOUR WONDERFUL REVIEWS AND FOR BEING SUCH AMAZING, SUPPORTIVE READERS!**

* * *

 **I ADORE YOU ALL, MY WONDERFUL READERS. THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH FOR PUTTING UP WITH MY RANT AND MY CRAPPY UPDATING SCHEDULE. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALSO SUPPORTING THIS STORY SO MUCH AND REVIEWING SUCH POSITIVE THINGS.**

 **THIS CHAPTER IS ALSO DEDICATED TO EVERYONE WHO READS THIS STORY.**

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Apparently, pain was just as common in unconsciousness as it was in consciousness.

Riss was in a dream-state but Hades did her body hurt. Her limbs ached and she vaguely felt a warm liquid trickle down her face but she was too focused on the fact that she was _glowing_. Like actually freaking _glowing_.

She was dressed in a pure white dress that fell to the ground and hugged her body snugly. Her skin was glowing a faint gold that brightened significantly as she moved. Her thin fingers picked at the skirt of her chiffon gown before her hand lifted in front of her face.

 _Pacalis_ , something called to Riss, echoing in her head. _Pacalis Necto._

Riss frowned, moving to spin around and—

 **XXXXX**

—the daughter of Poseidon tumbled out of her bed onto the floor of her cabin, breathing heavily. The lamp shone brightly above her and a warm chuckle floated from Jason's mouth. He got up, leaning down to pick Riss up.

"You okay?"

" _Yes_ ," Riss grumbled as she was lain back down. "I just wanted to hug the floor."

" _Sure_ …" Jason stroked his hand through Riss' hair, sitting beside her on the bed. "I'm sorry, you know."

Riss smiled, "Of course I know and I'm sorry too. I went off at you like an overprotective girlfriend and we're not even dating _officially_ but I was just really pissed off and—"

Jason's lips cut Riss' ramblings off. Her arms flew up to lace around his neck and he leant forward to kiss the Jackson girl breathless. Riss' fingers raked through Jason's hair, tugging him impossibly closer, pouring all her emotions into the kiss.

 _Gods, she loved_ —Riss pulled away abruptly, making Jason frown. He titled his head down, pressing his forehead to Riss'. Their breaths mingled due to their close proximity and Riss sighed. Not now. Love wasn't possible right now and, if she really wanted to admit it to herself, she hadn't even known Jason for very long.

Jason closed his eyes tightly. He'd had another meeting with Poseidon as he had waited for Riss to wake up, asleep in a small chair beside her bed. They had spoken briefly about how Riss was growing up – nice things really, no threats of his life being ended or the threat of being turned into a dolphin or alternate sea creature.

Aphrodite had been there again and she had prodded and prodded at Jason, making sly comments about how she was so much prettier than Riss, how Riss was just going to break his heart, how he could do so much better—well, Jason had promptly exploded after a while, annoyed to wits' end by the goddess and had retorted, "I love Neri, that's not going to change." And then he had turned as white as a sheet at the realization as the goddess of love giggled at his expense.

He'd blinked for a few moments, stunned by his own admission, just like Poseidon. "I love Neri," Jason had repeated blankly, still deathly pale. "Oh, gods."

That had sent Poseidon into a small rage, "What do you mean 'oh, gods'? Are you implying that there is something wrong with my daughter!?"

Jason had barely even heard him. "What if she doesn't love me back? What if she wants nothing to do with me?"

Aphrodite had patted his hand reassuringly with a small smile before Jason had jolted awake in his seat to find Riss lying on the floor.

"Are you okay?"

"Hmm," Jason hummed, opening his eyes. Riss was staring up at him, worry in her sea-green eyes. He smiled adoringly at her. "Be my girlfriend?"

Riss raised a brow. They'd never really used titles for each other, they just rolled with the punches and took each day as it came. Riss didn't understand the sudden question but she didn't question Jason. "You're asking me now?"

"No time like the present. But I understand if you don't want—"

"—Yes," Riss interrupted. "I'd love to be your girlfriend. I mean, I don't know what's going to change but being 'official' sounds nice."

Jason smiled again and pressed a kiss to Riss' nose, making a trail up to her forehead, over her scar and back to her lips. Riss sighed, content, and Jason smirked, moving his lips to Riss' neck. His lips made small red marks along her collarbone before Riss laughed and pulled him onto the bed beside her.

They laid in silence for a few moments, just staring at the ceiling. Jason was exhausted – he'd summoned a storm with Percy that could've rivalled the gods' storms – but he had refused to go to his cabin to sleep. Riss had been unconscious, dealing with her own exertion of power that he had never seen before and he had desperately wanted to be beside her when she woke up.

Riss twined her hand with Jason's, lacing their fingers together. "You know that Percy and Annabeth, maybe even Leo, will give you the third-degree, right? Piper's going to be the only ecstatic one."

"Worth it," Jason mumbled. "Because it's us, right, together?"

"Together."

 **XXXXX**

Riss hadn't be unconscious for long and she was grateful for it.

But still, she had been confined to bed despite feeling fine. Or so she said. Black splotches still danced in her vision and her knees were wobbly. She was just about to get up when Jason stumbled into her cabin and almost collapsed on top of her. Frank was at the door, helping an equally-tired-looking Percy along. Percy managed to gather enough strength to grumble as he hobbled along to his own cabin.

Jason nuzzled his nose into Riss' neck and laid a kiss there. "The world is spinning and yellow."

"Oh, honey," Riss said apologetically. She knew how it felt when she exerted her powers beyond her limits and she ran her hand gently through his blonde hair. "Just rest."

It wasn't long before both were sound asleep, tucked tightly around each other. But Riss didn't feel like she was asleep for very long – a disturbance in the _Force_ woke her. The ocean was calling to her and then she was hurrying up to the deck, Jason and Percy right behind her.

"That…is a big shrimp," Riss commented, eyeing what appeared to be a monstrous cross between a giant shrimp and a cockroach, with a pink chitinous shell, a flat crayfish tail, and millipede-type legs.

Percy yelled, "What's going—Gah! Shrimpzilla!"

Frank ran to Hazel's side. She was clutching the rigging, still dazed from her flashback, but she gestured that she was all right.

The monster rammed the ship again. The hull groaned.

Annabeth, Piper, and Jason tumbled to starboard and almost rolled overboard. Percy and Riss seemed relatively stable but grabbed onto the mast for safety. Leo reached the helm. His hands flew across the controls. Over the intercom, Festus clacked and clicked about leaks belowdecks, but the ship didn't seem to be in danger of sinking—at least not yet.

Leo toggled the oars. They could convert into spears, which should be enough to drive the creature away. Unfortunately, they were jammed. Shrimpzilla must have knocked them out of alignment, and the monster was in spitting distance, which meant that Leo couldn't use the ballistae without setting th on fire as well.

"How did it get so close?" Annabeth shouted, pulling herself up on one of the rail shields.

"I don't know!" Hedge snarled. He looked around for his bat, which had rolled across the quarterdeck.

"I'm stupid!" Leo scolded himself. "Stupid, stupid! I forgot the sonar!"

The ship tilted farther to starboard. Either the monster was trying to give them a hug, or it was about to capsize them.

"Sonar?" Hedge demanded. "Pan's pipes, Valdez! Maybe if you hadn't been staring into Hazel's eyes, holding hands for so long—"

" _What_?" Frank yelped.

"It wasn't like that!" Hazel protested.

"It doesn't matter!" Piper said. "Jason, can you call some lightning?"

Jason struggled to his feet. "I—" He only managed to shake his head. Summoning the storm earlier had taken too much out of him. Leo doubted the poor guy could pop a spark plug in the shape he was in.

"Percy! Riss!" Annabeth said. "Can you _talk_ to that thing? Do you know what it is?"

The son of the sea god shook his head, clearly mystified. "Maybe it's just curious about the ship. Maybe—"

The monster's tendrils lashed across the deck so fast, Leo didn't even have time to yell, _Lookout_!

One slammed Percy in the chest and sent him crashing down the steps. Another wrapped around Piper's legs and dragged her, screaming, toward the rail. Dozens more tendrils curled around the masts, encircling the crossbows and ripping down the rigging.

Riss surged forward to help her brother, only to be grabbed like Piper by the monster. Riss yelped and twisted her body to hack at the tendrils holding onto her. The daughter of Poseidon let out a snarled groan as she smacked hard against the deck and struggled to her feet.

"Nose-hair attack!" Hedge snatched up his bat and leaped into action; but his hits just bounced harmlessly off the tendrils.

Jason drew his sword. He tried to free Piper but he was still weak. His gold blade cut through the tendrils with no problem, but faster than he could sever them, more took their place.

Annabeth unsheathed her dagger. She ran through the forest of tentacles, dodging and stabbing at whatever target she could find. Frank pulled out his bow. He fired over the side at the creature's body, lodging arrows in the chinks of its shell; but that only seemed to annoy the monster. It bellowed, and rocked the ship. Riss took to using the water to grab the sea monster in a watery grip, pulling against the monster.

The mast creaked like it might snap off. They needed more firepower, but they couldn't use ballistae. They needed to deliver a blast that wouldn't destroy the ship. But how…? Leo's eyes fixed on a supply crate next to Hazel's feet.

"Hazel!" he yelled. "That box! Open it!"

She hesitated, then saw the box he meant. The label read WARNING. DO NOT OPEN.

"Open it!" Leo yelled again. "Coach, take the wheel! Turn us toward the monster, or we'll capsize." Hedge danced through the tentacles with his nimble goat hooves, smashing away with gusto. He bounded toward the helm and took the controls.

"Hope you got a plan!" he shouted.

"A bad one." Leo raced toward the mast.

The monster pushed against the _Argo II_. The deck lurched to forty-five degrees. Riss used the water to push back. Despite everyone's efforts, the tentacles were just too numerous to fight. They seemed able to elongate as much as they wanted. Soon they'd have the _Argo II_ completely entangled. Percy hadn't appeared from below. The others were fighting for their lives against nose hair.

"Frank!" Leo called as he ran toward Hazel. "Buy us some time! Can you turn into a shark or something?"

Frank glanced over, scowling; and in that moment a tentacle slammed into the big guy, knocking him overboard. Hazel screamed. She'd opened the supply box and almost dropped the two glass vials she was holding. Leo caught them. Each was the size of an apple, and the liquid inside glowed poisonous green. The glass was warm to the touch. Leo's chest felt like it might implode from guilt. He'd just distracted Frank and possibly gotten him killed, but he couldn't think about it. He had to save the ship.

Riss shot a look to Leo, "Concentrate! I'll find Frank!" She jumped overboard, putting her sword away and headed to where she had seen the Zhang boy disappear.

"Come on!" Leo handed Hazel one of the vials. "We can kill the monster—and save Frank!" He hoped he wasn't lying. Getting to the port rail was more like rock climbing than walking, but finally they made it.

"What is this stuff?" Hazel gasped, cradling her glass vial.

"Greek fire!"

Her eyes widened. "Are you _crazy_? If these break, we'll burn the whole ship!"

"Its mouth!" Leo said. "Just chuck it down its—"

Suddenly Leo was crushed against Hazel, and the world turned sideways. As they were lifted into the air, he realized they'd been wrapped together in a tentacle. Leo's arms were free, but it was all he could do to keep hold of his Greek fire vial. Hazel struggled. Her arms were pinned, which meant at any moment the vial trapped between them might break…and that would be extremely bad for their health.

They rose ten feet, twenty feet, thirty feet above the monster. Leo caught a glimpse of his friends in a losing battle, yelling and slashing at the monster's nose hairs. He saw Coach Hedge struggling to keep the ship from capsizing. The sea was dark, but in the moonlight he thought he saw a glistening object floating near the monster—maybe the unconscious body of Frank Zhang—and something beside the object with a blade which was being used to slash at the body of the monster—Riss.

"Leo," Hazel gasped, "I can't—my arms—"

"Hazel," he said. "Do you trust me?"

"No!"

"Me neither," Leo admitted. "When this thing drops us, hold your breath. Whatever you do, try to chuck your vial as far _away_ from the ship as possible."

"Why—why would it drop us?"

Leo stared down at the monster's head. This would be a tough shot, but he had no choice. He raised the vial in his left hand. He pressed his right hand against the tentacle and summoned fire to his palm—a narrowly focused, whitehot burst. That got the creature's attention. A tremble went all the way down the tentacle as its flesh blistered under Leo's touch. The monster raised its maw, bellowing in pain, and Leo threw his Greek fire straight down its throat.

After that, things got fuzzy. Leo felt the tentacle release them. They fell. He heard a muffled explosion and saw a green flash of light inside the giant pink lampshade of the monster's body. The water hit Leo's face like a brick wrapped in sandpaper, and he sank into darkness. He clamped his mouth shut, trying not to breathe, but he could feel himself losing consciousness.

Through the sting of the salt water, he thought he saw the hazy silhouette of the ship's hull above—a dark oval surrounded by a green fiery corona, but he couldn't tell if the ship was actually on fire. Leo's vision began to dim. His lungs burned. Just as he was about to give up, a strange face hovered over him—a man who looked like Chiron, their trainer back at Camp Half-Blood. He had the same curly hair, shaggy beard, and intelligent eyes—a look somewhere between wild hippie and fatherly professor, except this man's skin was the color of a lima bean. The man silently held up a dagger. His expression was grim and reproachful.

Leo blacked out.

 **XXXXX**

When Leo woke, he wondered if he was a ghost in another flashback because he was floating weightlessly. His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light.

And then Leo heard Riss grumbling in Latin so he knew he wasn't asleep.

"About time." Frank's voice had too much reverb, like he was speaking through several layers of plastic wrap.

Leo sat up…or rather he drifted upright. He was underwater, in a cave about the size of a two-car garage. Phosphorescent moss covered the ceiling, bathing the room in a blue-and-green glow. The floor was a carpet of sea urchins, which would have been uncomfortable to walk on, so Leo was glad he was floating. He didn't understand how he could be breathing with no air. Frank levitated nearby in meditation position. With his chubby face and his grumpy expression, he looked like a Buddha who'd achieved enlightenment and wasn't thrilled about it. The only exit to the cave was blocked by a massive abalone shell—its surface glistening in pearl and rose and turquoise. If this cave was a prison, at least it had an awesome door.

"Where are we?" Leo asked. "Where is everyone else?"

" _Everyone_?" Frank grumbled. "I don't know. As far as I can tell, it's just you, me, Riss and Hazel down here. The fish-horse guys took Hazel about an hour ago, leaving me with you."

"Oh, hush, Frank." Riss didn't sound angry, just tired. She was rubbing at her head like she was in pain and Frank became quiet for a moment.

Frank's tone made it obvious he didn't approve of those arrangements. He didn't look injured, but Leo realized that he no longer had his bow or quiver. In a panic, Leo patted his waist. His tool belt was gone.

"They searched us," Frank said. "Took anything that could be a weapon."

"Who?" Leo demanded. "Who are these fish-horse—?"

"Fish-horse guys," Frank clarified, which wasn't very clear. "They must have grabbed us when we fell in the ocean and dragged us…wherever this is."

Leo remembered the last thing he'd seen before he passed out—the lima-bean-colored face of the bearded man with the dagger. "The shrimp monster. The _Argo II_ —is the ship okay?"

"I don't know," Frank said darkly. "The others might be in trouble or hurt, or—or worse. But I guess you care more about your ship than your friends."

Leo felt like his face had just hit the water again. "What kind of stupid thing—?"

"I'll leave you to it," Riss muttered. "I'm going to try to talk to Percy and I think…I think you _both_ have a lot to talk about."

The girl closed her eyes, arranging herself into a meditating position. Her mind reached out through the twin bond to Percy as Leo furrowed his brow, confused.

Then Leo realized why Frank was so angry: the flashback. Things had happened so fast with the monster attack, Leo had almost forgotten. Coach Hedge had made that stupid comment about Leo and Hazel holding hands and gazing into each other's eyes. It probably hadn't helped that Leo had gotten Frank knocked overboard right after that. Suddenly Leo found it hard to meet Frank's gaze.

"Look, man…I'm sorry I got us into this mess. I totally jacked things up." He took a deep breath, which felt surprisingly normal, considering he was underwater. "Me and Hazel holding hands…it's not what you think. She was showing me this flashback from her past, trying to figure out my connection with Sammy."

Frank's angry expression started to unknot, replaced by curiosity. "Did she…did you figure it out?"

"Yeah," Leo said. "Well, sort of. We didn't get a chance to talk about it afterward because of Shrimpzilla, but Sammy was my great-grandfather." He told Frank what they'd seen. The weirdness hadn't fully registered yet, but now, trying to explain it aloud, Leo could hardly believe it. Hazel had been sweet on his _bisabuelo_ , a guy who had died when Leo was a baby. Leo hadn't made the connection before, but he had a vague memory of older family members calling his grandfather Sam Junior. Which meant Sam Senior was Sammy, Leo's _bisabuelo_. At some point, Tía Callida—Hera herself—had talked with Sammy, consoling him and giving him a glimpse into the future, which meant that Hera had been shaping Leo's life generations before he was even born. If Hazel had stayed in the 1940s, if she'd married Sammy, Leo might've been her great-grandson.

"Oh, man," Leo said when he had finished the story. "I don't feel so good. But I swear on the Styx, that's what we saw."

Frank had the same expression as the monster catfish head—wide glassy eyes and an open mouth. "Hazel…Hazel liked your _great-grandfather_? That's why she likes you?"

"Frank, I know this is weird. _Believe_ me. But I don't like Hazel—not _that_ way. I'm not moving in on your girl."

Frank knit his eyebrows. "No?"

Leo hoped he wasn't blushing. Truthfully, he had no idea how he felt about Hazel. She was awesome and cute, and Leo had a weakness for awesome cute girls. But the flashback had complicated his feelings _a lot_. Besides, his ship was in trouble.

 _I guess you care more about your ship than your friends_ , Frank had said.

That wasn't true, was it? Leo's dad, Hephaestus, had admitted once that he wasn't good with organic life forms. And, yes, Leo had always been more comfortable with machines than people. But he _did_ care about his friends. Piper, Riss and Jason…he'd known them the longest, but the others were important to him too. Even Frank. They were like family.

The problem was, it had been so long since Leo had _had_ a family, he couldn't even remember how it felt. Sure, last winter he'd become senior counselor of Hephaestus cabin; but most of his time had been spent building the ship. He liked his cabin mates. He knew how to work with them—but did he really know them? If Leo had a family, it was the demigods on the _Argo II_ —and maybe Coach Hedge, which Leo would never admit aloud.

 _You will always be the outsider_ , warned Nemesis's voice; but Leo tried to push that thought aside.

"Right, so…" He looked around him. "We need to make a plan. How are we breathing? If we're under the ocean, shouldn't we be crushed by the water pressure?"

Frank shrugged. "Fish-horse magic, I guess. I remember the green guy touching my head with the point of a dagger. Then I could breathe."

Leo studied the abalone door. "Can you bust us out? Turn into a hammerhead shark or something?"

Frank shook his head glumly. "My shape-shifting doesn't work. I don't know why. Maybe they cursed me, or maybe I'm too messed up to focus."

"Hazel could be in trouble," Leo said. "We've got to get out of here." He swam to the door and ran his fingers along the abalone. He couldn't feel any kind of latch or other mechanism. Either the door could only be opened by magic or sheer force was required—neither of which was Leo's specialty.

"I've already tried," Frank said. "Even if we get out, we have no weapons. And Riss is comatose."

The pair glanced over at Riss. She was glowing gold lightly and her face was entirely passive, like she was asleep.

"Hmm…" Leo held up his hand. "I wonder."

He concentrated, and fire flickered over his fingers. For a split second, Leo was excited, because he hadn't expected it to work underwater. Then his plan started working a little too well. Fire raced up his arm and over his body until he was completely shrouded in a thin veil of flame. He tried to breathe, but he was inhaling pure heat.

"Leo!" Frank flailed backward like he was falling off a bar stool. Instead of racing to Leo's aid, he hugged the wall to get as far away as possible. Leo forced himself to stay calm. He understood what was going on. The fire itself couldn't hurt him. He willed the flames to die and counted to five. He took a shallow breath. He had oxygen again. Frank stopped trying to merge with the cave wall.

"You're…you're okay?"

"Yeah," Leo grumbled. "Thanks for the assist."

"I—I'm sorry." Frank looked so horrified and ashamed it was hard for Leo to stay mad at him. "I just…what happened?"

"Clever magic," Leo said. "There's a thin layer of oxygen around us, like an extra skin. Must be self-regenerating. That's how we're breathing and staying dry. The oxygen gave the fire fuel—except the fire also suffocated me."

"I really don't…" Frank gulped. "I don't like that fire summoning you do." He started getting cozy with the wall again. Leo didn't mean to, but he couldn't help laughing.

"Man, I'm not going to attack you."

"Fire," Frank repeated, like that one word explained everything.

Leo remembered what Hazel had said—that his fire made Frank nervous. He'd seen the discomfort in Frank's face before, but Leo hadn't taken it seriously. Frank seemed _way_ more powerful and scary than Leo was. Now it occurred to him that Frank might have had a bad experience with fire. Leo's own mom had died in a machine shop blaze. Leo had been blamed for it. He'd grown up being called a freak, an arsonist, because whenever he got angry, things burned.

"Sorry I laughed," he said, and he meant it. "My mom died in a fire. I understand being afraid of it. Did, uh…did something like that happen with you?"

Frank seemed to be weighing how much to say. "My house…my grandmother's place. It burned down. But it's more than that…" He stared at the sea urchins on the floor. "Riss said you were like a brother to her. Annabeth said I could trust the crew. Even you."

"Even me, huh?" Leo wondered how _that_ had come up in conversation. "Wow, high praise."

"My weakness…" Frank started, like the words cut his mouth. "There's this piece of firewood—"

The abalone door rolled open. Leo turned and found himself face-to-face with Lima Bean Man, who wasn't actually a man at all. Now that Leo could see him clearly, the guy was by far the weirdest creature he'd ever met, and that was saying a lot.

From the waist up, he was more or less human—a thin, bare-chested dude with a dagger in his belt and a band of seashells strapped across his chest like a bandolier. His skin was green, his beard scraggly brown, and his longish hair was tied back in a seaweed bandana. A pair of lobster claws stuck up from his head like horns, turning and snapping at random.

Leo decided he didn't look so much like Chiron. He looked more like the poster Leo's mom used to keep in her workspace—that old Mexican bandit Pancho Villa, except with seashells and lobster horns.

From the waist down, the guy was more complicated. He had the forelegs of a blue-green horse, sort of like a centaur, but toward the back, his horse body morphed into a long fishy tail about ten feet long, with a rainbow-colored, V-shaped tail fin.

Now Leo understood what Frank meant about fish-horse guys. "I am Bythos," said the green man. "I will interrogate Frank Zhang. Nerissa Jackson will stay here." His voice was calm and firm, leaving no room for debate.

"Why did you capture us?" Leo demanded. "Where's Hazel?"

Bythos narrowed his eyes. His expression seemed to say: _Did this tiny creature just talk to me_? "You, Leo Valdez, will go with my brother."

"Your brother?" Leo realized that a much larger figure was looming behind Bythos, with a shadow so wide, it filled the entire cave entrance.

"Yes," Bythos said with a dry smile. "Try not to make Aphros mad."

 **XXXXX**

" _Don't freak out_."

"I'm not freaking out, why would I be freaking out?" Jason spat out as he stalked back and forth over the deck. He had just returned from flying over the ship, putting out the fires. He was exhausted and it was getting to him.

"Dude…" Percy was just as exhausted, especially after searching the ocean for his sister and friends. "Who are you talking to…?"

The son of Poseidon was half-sprawled over the decking and Jason was being careful not to step on him. The blonde boy froze, frowning, "Who am I speaking to?"

" _Me_ ," that odd voice said again and both demigods looked at each other, recognizing the voice.

Jason glanced around tentatively, "Riss?"

" _Yep_ ," a green-aura-like version of Riss chirped. She was sitting on the railing of the _Argo II_ , swinging her legs like a child. " _I'm here 'cause Perce is_."

"The twin thing?"

Riss nodded and eyed her brother and boyfriend, " _We're fine. I promise. Some of Chiron's brothers are here. They saved us but they are…fiercely protective of keeping this place a secret._ "

Percy wrinkled his nose, "Chiron's brothers?"

" _Yeah, Aphros and Bythos_." Riss' sea-green eyes narrowed, " _They refused to let a child of Poseidon here until I promised them that I would put myself into a trance after I made sure Leo was okay. I've been practicing_."

"Will you be back soon?" Jason questioned. He knew he sounded needy but he hadn't been able to protect Riss, even though he had promised himself _and_ Poseidon that he would.

" _Miss me already_ ," Riss teased before she became serious, " _Soon, I promise. But I think the 'fish-horse-guys,' as Frank so eloquently put it, will want to keep me unconscious. Don't worry too much about me_."

Riss' twin smirked, "Wouldn't dream of it."

The Jackson girl retaliated by sticking her tongue out before she began to fade away. Finally, she was gone and Jason was back to pacing the deck and Percy was lying on his back, sprawled out like a starfish.

 **XXXXX**

 _I could teach you._

 _You could learn from me to be the strongest they have ever seen._

 _A little goddess to destroy the gods. Once and for all._

 _You needn't see them die. Not like my ally has been showing you._

Riss knew what she was talking about. The woman in gold with the mummified face; Gaea's ally. She had finally put a name to the horrifying face. _Melinoe_. Melinoe, Hades' daughter, the goddess of ghosts, had picked the earth mother's side and was tormenting Riss' dreams.

 _Join me, Nerissa Jackson. Be the end of the gods and rule at my side._

"Go to the Underworld, Dirt Face."

 **XXXXX**

When four giant pink bubbles bursting at the surface off the starboard bow and ejecting Frank, Hazel, an unconscious Riss and Leo—Piper went a little crazy. She cried out with relief and dove straight into the water.

What was she thinking? She didn't take a rope or a life vest or anything. But at the moment, she was just so happy that she paddled over to Leo and kissed him on the cheek, which kind of surprised him.

"Miss me?" Leo laughed.

Piper was suddenly furious. "Where _were_ you? How are you guys alive?"

"Long story," he said. A picnic basket bobbed to the surface next to him. "Want a brownie?"

Riss had already been safely brought on board by Percy – the only one besides the unconscious girl who wasn't drenched in saltwater – and was awake, cocooned in a blanket and Jason's arms.

Once the others had changed into dry clothes (poor Frank had to borrow a pair of too-small pants from Jason) the crew all gathered on the quarterdeck for a celebratory breakfast—except for Coach Hedge, who grumbled that the atmosphere was getting too cuddly for his tastes and went below to hammer out some dents in the hull. While Leo fussed over his helm controls, Hazel and Frank related the story of the fish-centaurs and their training camp.

Riss couldn't provide much, given that she had been unconscious but she was able to speak about what she had gathered when not awake. Mainly how Gaea had once again tried to convince the demigod to join her.

The others had no doubt that she had turned Gaea down but Riss didn't admit that for a moment or two – a split second, really – that she had been tempted.

"Incredible," Jason said. "These are _really_ good brownies."

"That's your only comment?" Piper demanded. He looked surprised. "What? I heard the story. Fish-centaurs. Merpeople. Letter of intro to the Tiber River god. Got it. But these brownies—"

"I know," Frank said, his mouth full. "Try them with Esther's peach preserves."

"That," Hazel said, "is _incredibly_ disgusting."

Riss shrugged, "They're not wrong though." Jason smiled adoringly at his girlfriend and fed Riss some of the brownie. The Jackson girl rolled her eyes but took a bite as Piper cooed at the pair.

"Pass me the jar, man," Jason instructed Frank after Riss finished her piece.

Hazel and Piper exchanged a look of total exasperation. _Boys_. Percy, for his part, wanted to hear every detail about the aquatic camp. He kept coming back to one point: "They didn't want to meet me?"

"It wasn't that," Hazel said. "Just…undersea politics, I guess. The merpeople are territorial. The good news is they're taking care of that aquarium in Atlanta. And they'll help protect the _Argo II_ as we cross the Atlantic."

Percy nodded absently. "But they didn't want to meet me?"

Riss nodded in agreement, "They didn't even want to meet _me_? I was already _there_ , it wasn't like they had to come up to the _Argo_ to get me."

The Jackson pointed at his sister, like _yeah, what she said_ and Annabeth swatted his arm. "Come on, Seaweed Brain! We've got other things to worry about."

"She's right," Hazel said. "After today, Nico has less than two days. The fish-centaurs said we _have_ to rescue him. He's essential to the quest somehow."

She looked around defensively, as if waiting for someone to argue. No one did. Piper tried to imagine what Nico di Angelo was feeling, stuck in a jar with only two pomegranate seeds left to sustain him, and no idea whether he would be rescued. It made Piper anxious to reach Rome, even though she had a horrible feeling she was sailing toward her own sort of prison—a dark room filled with water.

"Nico must have information about the Doors of Death," Piper said. "We'll save him, Hazel. We can make it in time. Right, Leo?"

"What?" Leo tore his eyes away from the controls. "Oh, yeah. We should reach the Mediterranean tomorrow morning. Then spend the rest of that day sailing to Rome, or _flying_ , if I can get the stabilizer fixed by then…"

Jason suddenly looked as though his brownie with peach preserves didn't taste so good. "Which will put us in Rome on the last possible day for Nico. Twenty-four hours to find him—at most."

Percy crossed his legs. "And that's only part of the problem. There's the Mark of Athena, too."

"We'll deal with it," Riss said positively, although she wasn't really feeling it. "We always do. Crappy time limits – it's our thing, remember?"

Annabeth nodded at Riss in agreement but didn't seem happy with the change of topic. She rested her hand on her backpack, which, since they'd left Charleston, she always seemed to have with her. She opened the bag and brought out a thin bronze disk the diameter of a donut.

"This is the map that I found at Fort Sumter. It's…" She stopped abruptly, staring at the smooth bronze surface. "It's blank!"

Percy took it and examined both sides. "It wasn't like this earlier?"

"No! I was looking at it in my cabin and…" Annabeth muttered under her breath. "It must be like the Mark of Athena. I can only see it when I'm alone. It won't show itself to other demigods."

Frank scooted back like the disk might explode. He had an orange-juice mustache and a brownie-crumb beard that made Piper want to hand him a napkin. Riss did without a moment of hesitation and held her finger over her upper lip. Frank got the hint and smiled appreciatively at Riss after he wiped his face.

"What did it have on it?" Frank asked nervously. "And what _is_ the Mark of Athena? I still don't get it."

Annabeth took the disk from Percy. She turned it in the sunlight, but it remained blank. "The map was hard to read, but it showed a spot on the Tiber River in Rome. I think that's where my quest starts…the path I've got to take to follow the Mark."

"Maybe that's where you meet the river god Tiberinus," Piper said.

"But what _is_ the Mark?"

"The coin," Annabeth murmured.

Percy frowned. "What coin?"

Annabeth dug into her pocket and brought out a silver drachma. "I've been carrying this ever since I saw my mom at Grand Central. It's an Athenian coin." She passed it around. While each demigod looked at it, Piper had a ridiculous memory of show-and-tell in elementary school.

Riss flipped it over her fingers, like a magician. Her eyes were unfocused. "I feel it. I can feel the _wisdom_ radiating off it. This…" She shook her head, "I can't even explain it."

"Can you try?" Annabeth asked hopefully."

The sea-green-eyed girl pursed her lips before she closed her eyes. "Oh, goddess Athena, heed my call. What is the Mark of Athena?" She hadn't really expected it to work. But her eyes snapped open, glowing a brilliant green. " _Follow the Mark, daughter_ ," Riss said coldly, eyes locked on Annabeth. " _Nerissa will not be able to summon us forever and you only set her back by asking her to do so. She has a destiny._ " Riss slumped forward, Jason catching her around the waist and tucking her into his chest.

"I'm sorry, Riss," Annabeth immediately apologized as soon as Riss lifted tired eyes to her.

The gods and goddesses had been silent but they always had time for Riss and Annabeth was becoming suspicious of the gods…and a possible ulterior motive, given how letting them speak through her sapped Riss' strength.

"It's okay," the dark-haired girl grinned. "I offered. Now, what else can we get from the coin?"

"An owl," Leo noted, the first to roll with Riss' obvious prompt. The others were still eyeing her nervously. "Well, that makes sense. I guess the branch is an olive branch? But what's this inscription, _AΘE_ —Area Of Effect?"

"It's alpha, theta, epsilon," Riss answered quickly. She was proud of her knowledge of the Greek alphabet and she was desperate to think about anything other than the private message Athena had given her.

Annabeth added, "In Greek it stands for _Of Athenians_ …or you could read it as _the children of Athena_. It's sort of the Athenian motto."

"Like SPQR for the Romans," Piper guessed.

Annabeth nodded. "Anyway, the Mark of Athena is an owl, just like that one. It appears in fiery red. I've seen it in my dreams. Then twice at Fort Sumter." She described what had happened at the fort—the voice of Gaea, the spiders in the garrison, the Mark burning them away. Piper could tell it wasn't easy for her to talk about.

Percy took Annabeth's hand. "I should have been there for you."

"But that's the point," Annabeth said. " _No one_ can be there for me. When I get to Rome, I'll have to strike out on my own. Otherwise, the Mark won't appear. I'll have to follow it to…to the source."

"Oh, shut it, Annie," Riss grumbled. "That flipping Mark can go to the Underworld. If we wanna go with you, it'll appear if it knows what's good for it."

Annabeth chuckled at her friend's antic. "Thanks, Riss."

"No probs."

Frank took the coin from Leo. He stared at the owl. " _The giants' bane stands gold and pale, Won with pain from a woven jail_." He looked up at Annabeth. "What is it…this thing at the source?"

Before Annabeth could answer, Jason spoke up. "A statue," he said. "A statue of Athena. At least…that's my guess."

Piper frowned. "You said you didn't know."

"I _don't_. But the more I think about it…there's only one artifact that could fit the legend." He turned to Annabeth. "I'm sorry. I should have told you everything I've heard, much earlier. But honestly, I was scared. If this legend is true—"

"I know," Annabeth said. "I figured it out, Jason. I don't blame you. But if we manage to save the statue, Greek and Romans together…Don't you see? It could heal the rift."

"Hold on." Percy made a _time-out_ gesture. " _What statue_?"

Annabeth took back the silver coin and slipped it into her pocket. "The Athena Parthenos," she said. "The most famous Greek statue of all time. It was forty feet tall, covered in ivory and gold. It stood in the middle of the Parthenon in Athens."

The ship went silent, except for the waves lapping against the hull.

"Okay, I'll bite," Leo said at last. "What happened to it?"

"It disappeared," Annabeth said.

Leo frowned. "How does a forty-foot-tall statue in the middle of the Parthenon just _disappear_?"

"That's a good question," Annabeth said. "It's one of the biggest mysteries in history. Some people thought the statue was melted down for its gold, or destroyed by invaders. Athens was sacked a number of times. Some thought the statue was carried off—"

"By Romans," Jason finished. "At least, that's one theory, and it fits the legend I heard at Camp Jupiter. To break the Greeks' spirit, the Romans carted off the Athena Parthenos when they took over the city of Athens. They hid it in an underground shrine in Rome. The Roman demigods swore it would never see the light of day. They literally _stole_ Athena, so she could no longer be the symbol of Greek military power. She became Minerva, a much tamer goddess."

"And the children of Athena have been searching for the statue ever since," Annabeth said. "Most don't know about the legend, but in each generation, a few are chosen by the goddess. They're given a coin like mine. They follow the Mark of Athena…a kind of magical trail that links them to the statue…hoping to find the resting place of the Athena Parthenos and get the statue back."

Piper watched the two of them—Annabeth and Jason—with quiet amazement. They spoke like a team, without any hostility or blame. The two of them had never really trusted each other. Piper was close enough to both of them to know that. But now…if they could discuss such a huge problem so calmly—the ultimate source of Greek/Roman hatred—maybe there was hope for the two camps, after all. Percy seemed be having similar thoughts, judging from his surprised expression. Riss was just grinning with something akin to pride as she saw her best friend – her sister figure – and her boyfriend get along so well.

"So if we—I mean _you_ —find the statue…what would we do with it? Could we even _move_ it?"

"I'm not sure," Annabeth admitted. "But if we could save it somehow, it could unite the two camps. It could heal my mother of this hatred she's got, tearing her two aspects apart. And maybe…maybe the statue has some sort of power that could help us against the giants."

Riss set her jaw quickly. She never doubted Annabeth's ability – she'd held up the _sky_ for Hades' sake – but that didn't mean that she thought this quest was going to be easy. Annabeth was going to be taking on a task that _thousand_ of demigods had failed to complete in the past.

"This could change everything," Piper said. "It could end thousands of years of hostility. It might be the key to defeating Gaea. But if we can't help you…" She didn't finish, but the question seemed to hang in the air: _was saving the statue even possible_?

Annabeth squared her shoulders. Piper knew she must be terrified inside, but she did a good job hiding it.

"I have to succeed," Annabeth said simply. "The risk is worth it."

Hazel twirled her hair pensively. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life alone, but you're right. We saw what recovering the golden eagle standard did for the Roman legion. If this statue is the most powerful symbol of Athena ever created—"

"It could kick some serious booty," Leo offered.

Hazel frowned. "That wasn't the way I'd put it, but yes."

"Except…" Percy took Annabeth's hand again. "No child of Athena has _ever_ found it. Annabeth, what's _down_ there? What's guarding it? If it's got to do with spiders—?"

" _Won through the pain of a woven jail_ ," Frank recalled. "Woven, like webs?"

Annabeth's face turned as white as printer paper. Piper suspected that Annabeth knew what awaited her…or at least that she had a very good idea. She was trying to hold down a wave of panic and terror.

"Way to be positive, guys," Riss commented. "I have a pretty good guess _who_ is down there and so does Annie but if anyone can do this, Annabeth Chase can. She's the best person for the job, we just have to have a little faith."

"We'll deal with that when we get to Rome," Piper suggested, putting a little charmspeak in her voice to soothe her friend's nerves. "It's going to work out. Annabeth is going to kick some serious booty, too. You'll see."

"Yeah," Percy said. "Neri and I learned a long time ago: _Never_ bet against Annabeth."

"Because you will _always_ lose," Riss finished, sharing a smile with her brother.

Annabeth looked at them gratefully. Judging from their half-eaten breakfasts, the others still felt uneasy; but Leo managed to shake them out of it. He pushed a button, and a loud blast of steam exploded from Festus's mouth, making everyone jump.

"Well!" he said. "Good pep rally, but there's still a ton of things to fix on this ship before we get to the Mediterranean. Please report to Supreme Commander Leo for your super-fun list of chores!"

"Woo…" Riss muttered blandly, waving her arms in the air before leaning back into Jason's chest. " _Cleaning_ after a giant shrimp attack. That's going to be fun."

 **XXXXX**

* * *

 **Sorry for the super-late chapter but this one is a longer one.**

 **So, Riss is having super-weird dreams (what's Pacalis Necto, is it dangerous? is it a person? will we hear more about it?), is keeping secrets from the others, receiving secret messages from Athena and she is also learning more about her new powers. Melinoe was the woman with the mummified face and Riss and Jason are OFFICIAL. I'm dying.**

 **I'm going to be a bit more greedy: TEN REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER PRETTY PLEASE!**

 **~ Raven**


	9. IOTA

_**IOTA | HALF-BROTHERS ARE THE ABSOLUTE WORST**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

* * *

 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Rosy Fire_** **,** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _luckycgo_** **,** ** _Agazeamongstthestars, Spunky89, DaughterofWar03,werecutietate, Anon,_** ** _CRAZYNERDGIRL,_** ** _Madhatterpotterhead, Esther77,_** ** _aisleland,_** ** _Phoenixfire Produtions,_** **_DreamHunterVo,_** ** _arunc2001,_** ** _Elle, Guest (1), Guest (2)_** **AND** ** _Guest (3)._** **I'M SO SORRY THAT THIS CHAPTER IS SO LATE!**

* * *

 _ **VERY IMPORTANT A/N**_

* * *

Jason and Riss were on the lower deck, cleaning away the remnants of the Shrimp of Doom. Riss was sweeping water around the stables, collecting hay and dumping them into a bucket. The girl was silently working, like speaking to her own boyfriend was a criminal offense.

"Riss…" Jason trailed off, noticing that Riss was almost completely unresponsive. She continued the repetitive actions wordlessly. "Neri, talk to me."

"I'm just tired," Riss said slowly. She fixed a smile onto her face, "I just need rest, Jason. I'm fine."

Jason bit his lip, not really believing his girlfriend but he merely walked forward and looped his arms around Riss. She sighed, resting her chin on Jason's shoulder and hugging back fiercely.

"We're a team, you know?" Jason questioned into Riss' raven hair. "Together?"

"Together," Riss promised and she trailed her fingers up Jason's side and curved her arm around his back. "Can't we just have one normal day? Where we don't nearly get killed by psycho family members or mythological creatures. Where we can just be… _ordinary_?"

Jason laughed, "If that happened, we wouldn't demigods."

"I hate it when you're right," Riss muttered as she nuzzled her face into Jason's neck. He hummed and the daughter of Poseidon felt it against her lips. She placed a kiss over the boy's pulse point, nipped there and stepped away to admire the blush that spread up over his cheeks that her actions had caused. "That color looks good on you, babe."

The blonde leapt forward, catching Riss around the waist and tugging her close to his chest. He kissed her forcefully on the lips, sliding his tongue into her mouth and after a few moments of intense kissing, Jason pulled back to murmur, "Don't tease."

"Okay," Riss muttered breathlessly. "But if I get that response…" She tugged Jason's neck, drawing him back down to her. Their breaths mingled and Riss smirked, licking her lips slowly. Jason's pupils dilated and Riss laughed, pecking the boy's lips before stepping away, teasing, "You might be the son of Jupiter, Jase, but you're still a teenage boy."

The Grace boy just grumbled, pulling Riss back to her and the pair proceeded to have a small make-out session until the dinner bell rang. Riss continued to press kisses to Jason's neck and jaw, ignoring the bell. She just wanted _this moment_ to just be her and Jason—acknowledging that the bell was ringing meant acknowledging that they were on a guest that could ultimately get them killed.

"Neri…" Jason sighed, a shiver running through him as Riss tugged at the hair at the nape of his neck. He meant to sound forceful but it didn't quite come out that way. " _Neri_. That's the dinner bell and the deck isn't clean."

Riss' teeth bit down into Jason's collarbone and the son of Jupiter released a little whimper at the feeling. He didn't even notice as water swirled around, forming humanoid shapes and began to sweep up hay and fix a broken stable door. Jason didn't push her away, not willing to move and too involved in the sensations Riss was making him feel deep in his chest.

" _Nerissa_ ," Jason tried to sound firm but he feared that it didn't come out that way. Riss' teeth were forming marks in her boyfriend's neck and she chuckled at the desperation in Jason's voice. With Riss' lips on him, his teenage mind was generating less-than holy thoughts and his knuckles were white, his fingers tugging at the back of her shirt in an effort to not give into Riss' kisses. "You've gotta stop…Neri…"

Riss smirked, moving back and making Jason felt cold at the loss of contact. "Okay, okay."

"Thank you," Jason muttered but Riss could tell that he really didn't mean it. If they had their way, they would've skipped dinner to keep kissing. "We'd better get up there. We don't want Coach Hedge tying bells around our necks."

The daughter of Poseidon pulled a face, "If he does that, I'll kick Percy's ass. It would be his and Annie's fault anyway."

Jason offered her his hand and Riss gladly took it, clicking her fingers as they left the deck. The humanoid water-beings swirled into the buckets, the entire area clean and the pair shared a smile.

 **XXXXX**

The next morning was _not_ as relaxing as Riss hoped. Instead of a lazy morning with Jason keeping her warm and holding her tight to him as he nuzzled into her neck, she was dealing with—

"Freaking ship horns that freaking wake me up in the middle of the goddamn morning…" Riss grumbled, dressed in her pajamas – a tank top and a pair of track pants – her sword in hand. She hurried up to the deck and stopped beside her brother, "What do we have? Giant shrimp? Mermaids? Titans possessing teenage boys?"

Okay, the last one was a bit insensitive. Riss bit her lip, her fingers flying to her camp necklace as she waited for her brother's answer.

Percy wore pajama pants and a bronze breastplate, hair tousled from sleep and his green eyes were narrowed to slits. He was about as happy being woken up in the morning as Riss was. "A _cruise ship_."

"I'mma sink that damn ship."

None of the other demigods looked any better than the Jacksons. Hazel's hair was all blown to one side, as though she'd walked through a cyclone; and Leo had accidentally set himself on fire. His T-shirt was in charred tatters. His arms were smoking. Piper looked the most put together, having run onto the deck last but she still looked half-asleep.

About a hundred yards to port, a massive cruise ship glided past. Tourists waved at them from fifteen or sixteen rows of balconies. Some smiled and took pictures. None of them looked surprised to see an Ancient Greek trireme. Maybe the Mist made it look like a fishing boat, or perhaps the cruisers thought the _Argo II_ was a tourist attraction.

The cruise ship blew its horn again, and the _Argo II_ had a shaking fit. Riss flipped the tourists the bird, making quite a few who saw her gasp and then she was turning on her heel with angered steps with the intent of going back to bed.

"Nope," Jason called, catching Riss' hand and pulling her into his bare chest.

Riss repressed a shiver—she'd been hyperaware of Jason lately and just about anything he did around her—and did a pretty good impression of Daffy Duck. "You're _despicable_."

Jason just shot her his usual blinding smile (that she realised that she absolutely _adored_ ) and pecked her cheek.

Coach Hedge plugged his ears. "Do they have to be so loud?"

"They're just saying hi," Frank speculated.

"They couldn't have said _hi_ in a _quieter_ way?"

"WHAT?" Hedge yelled back.

The ship edged past them, heading out to sea. The tourists kept waving. If they found it strange that the _Argo II_ was populated by half-asleep kids in armor and pajamas and a man with goat legs, they didn't let on.

"Bye!" Leo called, raising his smoking hand.

"Hey!" Riss yelled, "No being nice to the savages who woke us up, Smokey!"

"Can I man the ballistae?" Hedge asked.

"No," Leo said through a forced smile.

Hazel rubbed her eyes and looked across the glittering green water. "Where are—oh…Wow."

Riss looked around to see what Hazel meant and immediately nodded. "Yeah, you can say that again. Holy gods, it's beautiful."

Without the cruise ship blocking their view, they could see a mountain jutting from the sea less than half a mile to the north. It was a massive fist of blinding white rock thrust into the sky. On one side, the limestone cliffs were almost completely sheer, dropping into the sea over a thousand feet below.

On the other side, the mountain sloped in tiers, covered in green forest, worn down over the millennia, with a massive white head and chest, and a green cloak over its back.

"The Rock of Gibraltar," Annabeth said in awe. "At the tip of Spain. And over there—" She pointed south, to a more distant stretch of red and ochre hills. "That must be Africa. We're at the mouth of the Mediterranean."

The thought made Riss shiver. There was something indescribably _there_ about the Mediterranean that had a power that she could feel from where she stood. If the legends were true, their quest would become ten times more dangerous.

"What now?" Piper asked. "Do we just sail in?"

"Why not?" Leo said. "It's a big shipping channel. Boats go in and out all the time."

Riss made a face. "Not every boat is carrying a group of Roman and Greek demigods, Leo." She recognized that brooding expression on her best friend's face. It almost always meant that she anticipated trouble. "What is it Annie?"

"In the old days," Annabeth said, "they called this area the pillars of Hercules. The Rock was supposed to be one pillar. The other was one of the African mountains. Nobody is sure which one."

"Hercules, huh?" Percy frowned. "That guy was like the Starbucks of Ancient Greece. Everywhere you turn—there he is."

A thunderous _boom_ shook the _Argo II_ , though they weren't sure where it came from this time. She didn't see any other ships, and the skies were clear.

Piper looked like her mouth was full of sand, "So…these Pillars of Hercules. Are they dangerous?"

Annabeth stayed focused on the white cliffs, as if waiting for the Mark of Athena to blaze to life. "For Greeks, the pillars marked the end of the known world. The Romans said the pillars were inscribed with a Latin warning—"

" _Non Plus Ultra_ ," Percy said.

Annabeth looked stunned. "Yeah. _Nothing Further Beyond_. How did you know?"

Riss rolled her eyes, "Don't sound so impressed. He has _eyes_."

Percy pointed. "Because I'm looking at it."

Directly ahead of them, in the middle of the straits, an island had shimmered into existence. The demigods were positive no island had been there before. It was a small hilly mass of land, covered in forests and ringed with white beaches. Not very impressive compared to Gibraltar, but in front of the island, jutting from waves about a hundred yards offshore, were two white Grecian columns as tall as th 's masts.

Between the columns, huge silver words glittered underwater—maybe an illusion, or maybe inlaid in the sand: _NON PLUS ULTRA_.

"Guys, do I turn around?" Leo asked nervously. "Or…"

No one answered—they had noticed the figure standing on the beach. As the ship approached the columns, she saw a dark-haired man in purple robes, his arms crossed, staring intently at their ship as if he were expecting them. Piper couldn't tell much else about him from this distance, but judging from his posture, he wasn't happy.

Frank inhaled sharply. "Could that be—?"

"Hercules," Jason said. "The most powerful demigod of all time."

"That's not arrogant in the slightest."

The _Argo II_ was only a few hundred yards from the columns now. "Need an answer," Leo said urgently. "I can turn, or we can take off. The stabilizers are working again. But I need to know quick—"

"We have to keep going," Annabeth said. "I think he's guarding these straits. If that's really Hercules, sailing or flying away wouldn't do any good. He'll want to talk to us."

Riss made another face—this one was less _that's a bad idea_ and more _add your two-cents in again and I'll gut you_. "That is a _terrible_ idea. We've met Zeus—if _Heracles_ is anything like his old man, he'd rather crush us than help us." She glanced at her boyfriend, "No offense."

"Won't Hercules be on our side?" Piper asked hopefully. "I mean…he's one of us, right?"

Jason grunted. "He was a son of Zeus, but when he died, he became a god. You can never be sure with gods."

Piper remembered their meeting with Bacchus in Kansas—another god who used to be a demigod. He hadn't been exactly helpful.

"Great," Percy said. "Seven of us against Hercules."

"And a satyr!" Hedge added. "We can take him."

"Like Hades we can."

"I've got a better idea," Annabeth said. "We send ambassadors ashore. A small group—one or two at most. Try to talk with him."

"I'll go," Jason said. "He's a son of Zeus. I'm the son of Jupiter. Maybe he'll be friendly to me."

"Or maybe he'll hate you," Percy suggested. "Half-brothers don't always get along."

Jason scowled. "Thank you, Mr. Optimism."

Riss raised her hands up, between her brother and boyfriend. "He's right you know—you should see Percy and Triton try to get along but…it's better that Jason go than send either me or Perce. Kids of Zeus and Poseidon generally get along even _worse_ than half-brothers." She glanced at Annabeth, to get her opinion, "Piper and Jason?"

"It's worth a shot," Annabeth agreed. "At least Jason and Hercules have something in common. And we need our best diplomat. Somebody who's good with words. Piper?"

All eyes turned to Piper. She tried to avoid screaming and jumping over the side. A bad premonition gnawed at her gut. But if Jason was going ashore, she wanted to be with him. Maybe this hugely powerful god would turn out to be helpful. They had to have good luck once in a while, didn't they?

"Fine," she said. "Just let me change my clothes."

 **XXXXX**

Riss was stretched out over the bed that she and Jason shared, watching with a bemused smile as Jason tried to plan what he was going to say to his half-brother. He was pacing while he got dressed and muttered under his breath to himself.

"You good there?"

Jason didn't seem to hear her (or he was ignoring her) and finished getting dressed. He spun around, rocking back on the heels of his feet. "I'm nervous?"

"To meet someone as 'legendary' as Hercules," Riss added air quotes, "or because you're meeting your half-brother for the first time?"

"Air quotes, really?" Jason huffed, "And both."

Riss reached out, beckoning Jason to grab her hands. He did and she pulled him down to lie beside her. "Jase, Hercules is a selfish, bitter _god_. I…I never met him but I know how he is. He's been downgraded to being a doorman, even after doing all of the terrific things we're told about." The sea-green-eyed girl shrugged, "My dad warned me about him—he told me that Hercules is just as bitter as Luke was and that we need to be careful."

"But he's _Hercules_ —"

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Riss asked with a shake of her head. "You, Percy, Nico, _every single_ demigod we've met—they are _all_ at the same level as Hercules and majority of the demigods we've met don't have fancy gifts."

Jason nodded slowly, seeing Riss' point. During the Battle of Manhattan, a lot of amazing heroes died and they didn't have powers or special weapons like Hercules had. They had _chosen_ to defend all mortals without any incentive like being gifted with immortality at the end.

"You…" Jason trailed off before he seemed to regain his nerve, "You turned down immortality. Why?"

Riss looked thoughtful. "If you had asked me, just after I turned it down, I would've said it was because of the people that I loved would grow old and die while I didn't. Now…the honest answer is because I was scared. I was scared that after decades, I would become as complacent as the gods and that things that _used_ to matter to me, wouldn't anymore. Family, love…

"I love my family and I love my father but living life like that…it scares me. Small things like seeing a child smile in the street or wishing a stranger good morning would lose its meaning overtime." Riss rolled her eyes and laughed dryly, "I didn't want to become a goddess because it would mean one more step away from _human_."

"And you want to be human." Jason paused. "Do you ever wish that life was like it was… _before_?"

"You mean back when I was twelve and I thought I was going crazy? Before I helped Percy kill our crazy Math teacher-slash-Fury?" The Jackson girl didn't hesitant, merely shaking her head slowly, "I wish life was _simpler_ , yeah, but I wouldn't give up this world. Not for anything."

Jason trailed his eyes over the girl in front of him. Sometimes, just the things she said and how she said it, he wondered if she was a goddess. Riss was full of wisdom and anger and a strange vengeance that Jason had seen before in warriors. Her scars told a story and her eyes had seen too much before.

"Don't look at me like that," Riss instructed carefully. She didn't like the way that Jason was staring at her as if she was the world. Something was _wrong_ with her and Riss had yet to find out what it was but she had a feeling—deep, deep, _deep_ down inside—that it would only hurt those she cared about.

But with those pale-blue eyes on her, filled with—dare she say it?— _love_ , staying away from him just wasn't an option.

"Why?" Jason's voice was a _purr_ and Riss almost had a heart attack right then and there. "Why don't you want me looking at you as if you're the most beautiful person in the room?"

"There is only one woman in this room. Unless you're not telling me something."

Jason ignored Riss' sarcastic response and nuzzled his nose into her neck, "Why can't I look at my girlfriend? My wonderful, sarcastic, badass girlfriend?"

"Because you have a quest to complete, my procrastinating but utterly charming _boyfriend_ ," Riss huffed, pushing Jason away. The son of Jupiter got up, stepping away with a charming smile on his face. "Come back to me in one piece, okay?"

"I promise," Jason vowed, leaning down to kiss Riss. "Wish me luck."

"You won't need it." Riss smiled, "And Jason. You're worth ten of Hercules." The Grace boy shot the dark-haired girl another smile and headed out of the cabin. The daughter of Poseidon dropped her head into her hands, finally letting the worry she felt overtake her. "Oh, Fortuna, look out for both of them."

 **XXXXX**

Jason had arrived back on the _Argo II_ and had immediately wrapped his arms around Riss, who was still watching an angry Hercules lob coconuts at the ship. She found it interesting, definitely, but sad at the same time.

She had been right about the bitterness Hercules felt and the loneliness too.

Riss could also tell that something was off with Jason. He refused to leave her side, even though she could tell that he was incredibly tired. Finally, Riss had enough of the clinginess (despite quite liking the attention) and basically shoved him onto his bed and closed the door of the cabin.

Leo, who had been walking past, whistled not-so-casually and Riss pulled the door open to throw a shoe at the Latino boy's head.

"Tell me what's wrong."

Jason glanced up at Riss and gently tugged her to sit on his lap. "Just something Hercules said." At the expectant look he received, Jason continued, "Hercules' first wife died and his second one poisoned him."

Riss frowned. "Are you saying you plan on marrying me and watching me die or are you planning on marrying me and waiting for me to poison you? Because, either way, I think it's a _teensy_ bit too early for talk of marriage _or_ death."

Jason blushed bright red. "That's not what I meant! I know it's too early and we're too young. But I'm just worried that as a son of Zeus…I'm going to get you killed in the long run."

The Jackson girl smiled slightly and cupped Jason's face. "Gods, I adore you. Jase, if you're willing to be threatened with drowning then I'm okay with being threatened by being struck by lightning." And with that, Riss placed a gently kiss on Jason's lips and left him to sleep.

 **XXXXX**

Riss was trying to relax.

Key word: _trying_.

She just couldn't seem to stop worrying about Jason and Piper—worried about everything that Hercules had said to them. Something had seemed _off_ to the daughter of Poseidon and she was putting it down to her inability to maintain her sanity. Constantly, facts about demigods were screaming in her head. _Kara Scott, daughter of Aphrodite. Michael Danvers, son of Apollo. Lillian Jane, daughter of Demeter._

And now, because _Romans_ were a thing— _Tyler Monaghan, son of Janus. Peggy and Howard Lots, daughter and son of Minerva_.

That last one, Riss _really_ didn't want to know, because if all went well, _Minerva_ was going to be Percy's mother-in-law.

Riss honestly felt like she was going crazy. There were lapses in the names—mainly when she was sleeping or when she was… _ehem_ , lip-locked with Jason—but there weren't enough breaks for Riss to feel even a little bit alone in her own head. After one of her conversations with her father, Riss had begun to question if the ability Apollo and Zeus had joint-gifted her with was just a cover for something else.

Briefly, Riss had mentioned her thoughts to Annabeth but like with Percy, the girl had been too wrapped up in her own thoughts to help much. The Jackson girl didn't mind really, she understood but it would've been better just to be met with silence than the response she got.

"What else? Something 'more sinister?'"

That hadn't been helpful. At all.

Riss hated it when she was being mocked but, whether meaningfully or not, Annabeth had done just that. She had retreated to her cabin and stared at the ceiling ("maybe sleep would do me some good") but as silly and like a lovesick teenager it sounded, Riss just couldn't sleep without Jason beside her. He was in his own cabin, completely spent from the quest and she had a lot of thinking to do anyway.

"Missing your other half?"

"Go to the Underworld, brother dearest."

"I have and so have you. I think we can both agree that it's nicer than we thought."

"Nothing could be worse than the Lotus Casino."

Both Jackson twins shuddered at the reminder before Percy sauntered into the room and collapsed beside his sister. He seemed to think of something as soon as he lay his head down and froze in his wiggles. "Hey, you and Jason share this bed. You haven't, you know, _done_ —"

"Finish that sentence and I promise to gut you with Riptide."

Percy raised his hands in surrender. "I just thought I'd check. You and Jason are attached at the hip most of the time, PDA _all_ the time and you share the same bed. It's really not a stretch."

"Because you and Annie are so much better?" Riss scoffed. The pair fell silent, lying in matching arms-folded positions. "I think the gods have done something to me."

"Like what?" Percy asked, rolling onto his side to stare at his sister. He had noticed something about her that was different but he had just assumed it was because Nerissa _I-Don't-Date-Because-Guys-Are-Dickheads_ Jackson had finally found a guy worth her time.

"I told you about the… _voices_." Percy nodded slowly. "They're getting worse and I think that something triggered it—probably Gaia getting up from her nap—but…the gods. They had to have done something to even make this _possible_."

Percy kept his sea-green eyes on his little sister. He loved her more than anything and knew how much she was capable of when she put her mind to it. "Have you tried talking to dad?"

"Like Chiron, he can't say anything." Riss deepened her voice, " _Sorry, my darling, but I cannot reveal anything to you. You must wait_. Next, he's going to start Yoda-ing his way through life." Riss turned her attention to Percy, "You look half-dead. Sleep."

Percy didn't argue and within a few minutes, he was deep in the land of dreams.

 **XXXXX**

Percy stared into the fog apprehensively. He couldn't see anything around them, but he had perfect bearings at sea. He knew their exact latitude and longitude. He knew the depth of the ocean and which way the currents were flowing. He knew the ship's speed, and could sense no rocks, sandbars, or other natural dangers in their path. He knew that even if he lapsed for a second in concentration that Riss would be able to feel the same things he did.

Still, being blind was unsettling.

They hadn't been attacked since they had touched the water , but the sea seemed different. Percy had been in the Atlantic, the Pacific, even the Gulf of Alaska, but this sea felt more ancient and powerful. Percy could sense its layers swirling below him. Every Greek or Roman hero had sailed these waters—from Hercules to Aeneas. Monsters still dwelt in the depths, so deeply wrapped in the Mist that they slept most of the time; but Percy could feel them stirring, responding to the Celestial bronze hull of a Greek trireme and the presence of demigod blood.

"We're not far from the Italian coast," Percy said, mostly to break the silence. "Maybe a hundred nautical miles to the mouth of the Tiber."

"Good," Annabeth said. "By daybreak, we should—"

"Stop." Percy's skin felt washed with ice. "We have to stop."

"Why?" Annabeth asked.

"Leo, stop!" he yelled. "Riss!"

Too late. The other boat appeared out of the fog and rammed them head-on. In that split second, Percy registered random details: another trireme; black sails painted with a gorgon's head; hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in Greek armor, swords and spears ready; and a bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the _Argo II_.

Annabeth and Percy were almost thrown overboard. Riss swore loudly in Latin, probably cursing the sailors' mothers as she clutched onto the railing. Festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the _Argo II_. Grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks.

By the time Percy had recovered his wits, the enemy was everywhere. He couldn't see well through the fog and the dark, but the invaders seemed to be humanlike dolphins, or dolphin-like humans. Some had gray snouts. Others held their swords in stunted flippers. Some waddled on legs partially fused together, while others had flippers for feet, which reminded Percy of clown shoes.

Leo sounded the alarm bell. He made a dash for the nearest ballista but went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors. Annabeth and Percy stood back-to-back, as they'd done many times before, their weapons drawn. Percy tried to summon the waves, hoping he could push the ships apart or even capsize the enemy vessel, but nothing happened. It almost felt like something was pushing against his will, wresting the sea from his control.

Riss grunted out, staggering over to her brother and best friend. She choked out a breath, like being separated from the sea physically hurt her. "Ca—Can you feel that? Gods, it hurts!"

Percy nodded and raised Riptide, ready to fight, but they were hopelessly outnumbered. Several dozen warriors lowered their spears and made a ring around them, wisely keeping out of striking distance of Percy's sword. The dolphin-men opened their snouts and made whistling, popping noises. Percy had never considered just how vicious dolphin teeth looked.

He tried to think. Maybe he could break out of the circle and destroy a few invaders, but not without the others skewering him and Annabeth. And especially not with his twin sister almost about to collapse.

At least the warriors didn't seem interested in killing them immediately. They kept Percy and Annabeth contained while more of their comrades flooded below-decks and secured the hull. Percy could hear them breaking down the cabin doors, scuffling with his friends. Even if the other demigods hadn't been fast asleep, they wouldn't have stood a chance against so many.

Leo was dragged across the deck, half-conscious and groaning, and dumped on a pile of ropes. Below, the sounds of fighting tapered off. Either the others had been subdued or…or Percy refused to think about it.

On one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through. He appeared to be fully human, but from the way the dolphins fell back before him, he was clearly the leader. He was dressed in Greek combat armor—sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs—and everything he wore was gold. Even his sword, a Greek blade like Riptide, was gold instead of bronze.

The man's visor was a full face mask fashioned like a gorgon's head—curved tusks, horrible features pinched into a snarl, and golden snake hair curling around the face. Percy had met gorgons before. The likeness was good—a little too good for his taste.

Riss gasped, eyes wide, " _Son of Poseidon. Son of Medusa._ "

"Riss!" Percy cried out lowly, catching his sister before she fell over. She didn't seem to be close to unconsciousness but she was having trouble breathing and Nauticus was dragging across the deck.

Annabeth turned so she was shoulder to shoulder with Percy, helping her brother balance Riss. He wanted to put his arm around her protectively, but he doubted she'd appreciate the gesture, and he didn't want to give this golden guy any indication that Annabeth was his girlfriend. No sense giving the enemy more leverage than they already had.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded. "What do you want?"

The golden warrior chuckled. With a flick of his blade, faster than Percy could follow, he smacked Riptide out of Percy's hand and sent it flying into the sea. He might as well have thrown Percy's lungs into the sea, because suddenly Percy couldn't breathe. He'd never been disarmed so easily.

Riss growled, straightening and angled her blade horizontal to Percy's body, the flat edge against his chest. She fixed her sea-green eyes on the golden man, "Try that with me and you'll find that I do not have nearly a loose a grip as my brother."

The man chuckled again, gaze fixed on Riss. "You are as beautiful as you are deadly, sister. Your mother must have been quite the woman to have captured Poseidon's attention."

The Jackson girl narrowed her eyes with a smirk, "She is. But I'm sure that anyone is a step up from your _snake_ of a mother."

The golden warrior growled, levelling his blade in front of Riss' chest and Percy dragged her back. The Jackson boy repeated his earlier words, more of a deadly edge to them now, "Who are you and what do you want?"

"Hello, brother." The golden warrior's voice was rich and velvety, with an exotic accent—Middle Eastern, maybe— that seemed vaguely familiar. "Always happy to rob a fellow son of Poseidon. I am Chrysaor, the Golden Sword. As for what I want…" He turned his metal mask toward Annabeth. "Well, that's easy. I want everything you have."

 **XXXXX**

Percy's heart did jumping jacks while Chrysaor walked back and forth, inspecting them like prized cattle. A dozen of his dolphin-man warriors stayed in a ring around them, spears leveled at Percy's chest, while dozens more ransacked the ship, banging and crashing around below-decks. One carried a box of ambrosia up the stairs. Another carried an armful of ballista bolts and a crate of Greek fire.

"Careful with that!" Annabeth warned. "It'll blow up both our ships."

"Ha!" Chrysaor said. "We know all about Greek fire, girl. Don't worry. We've been looting and pillaging ships on the Mare Nostrum for eons."

"Your accent sounds familiar," Percy said. "Have we met?"

"I haven't had the pleasure." Chrysaor's golden gorgon mask snarled at him, though it was impossible to tell what his real expression might be underneath. "But I've heard all about you, Percy Jackson. Oh, yes, the young man who saved Olympus. Along with his daring sister, Riss Jackson. And their faithful sidekick, Annabeth Chase."

"I'm nobody's sidekick," Annabeth growled. "And, Percy, his accent sounds familiar because he sounds like his mother. We killed her in New Jersey."

Percy frowned. "I'm pretty sure that accent isn't New Jersey. Who's his—? Oh."

It all fell into place. Aunty Em's Garden Gnome Emporium—the lair of Medusa. She'd talked with that same accent, at least until Percy had cut off her head.

" _Medusa_ is your mom?" he asked. "Dude, that sucks for you."

Riss tried to hide her smile as she _literally_ hissed out each word with an 's.' "I'm sure it really _bites_ that Percy killed her."

Judging from the sound in Chrysaor's throat, he was now snarling under the mask, too. "You are as arrogant as the _first_ Perseus," Chrysaor said. "But, yes, Percy Jackson. Poseidon was my father. Medusa was my mother. After Medusa was changed into a monster by that so-called goddess of wisdom…" The golden mask turned on Annabeth. "That would be _your_ mother, I believe…Medusa's two children were trapped inside her, unable to be born. When the original Perseus cut off Medusa's head—"

"Two children sprang out," Annabeth remembered. "Pegasus and you."

Percy blinked. "So your brother is a winged horse. But you're also our half-brother, which means all the flying horses in the world are our…You know what? Let's forget it."

" _Nieces and nephews_ ," Riss mock-coughed into her hand, making Percy screw his face up at the though.

They'd learned years ago it was better not to dwell too much on who was related to whom on the godly side of things. After Tyson the Cyclops adopted them as brother and sister, Percy and Riss decided that that was about as far as he wanted to extend the family.

"But if you're Medusa's kid," the Jackson boy said, "why haven't I ever heard of you?"

"'Cause he's lame."

Chrysaor sighed in exasperation, choosing to ignore his younger sister. "When your brother is Pegasus, you get used to being forgotten. Oh, look, a winged horse! Does anyone care about me? No!" He raised the tip of his blade to Percy's eyes. "But don't underestimate me. My name means the Golden Sword for a reason."

"Imperial gold?" Percy guessed.

"Bah! _Enchanted_ gold, yes. Later on, the Romans called it Imperial gold, but I was the first to ever wield such a blade. I should have been the most famous hero of all time! Since the legend-tellers decided to ignore me, I became a villain instead. I resolved to put my heritage to use. As the son of Medusa, I would inspire terror. As the son of Poseidon, I would rule the seas!"

"You became a pirate," Annabeth summed up.

Chrysaor spread his arms, which was fine with Percy since it got the sword point away from his eyes.

"The _best_ pirate," Chrysaor said. "I've sailed these waters for centuries, waylaying any demigods foolish enough to explore the Mare Nostrum. This is my territory now. And all you have is mine."

"First off," Riss lifted a finger. "That's rude. Second off…Captain Jack Sparrow is the _best_ pirate. All the way." The girl spun around, leaving her back undefended but she didn't seem to care, "Why is it, that every single sibling we have is pissed at _you_?"

" _Me_?" Percy demanded. "What about you?"

"Triton _loves_ me and I didn't lop off Chrys'—" Riss faced Chrysaor, "I can call you that right?" The pirate shrugged, looking incredibly amused as Riss spun back to Percy "—mom's head!"

Percy threw up his hands in exasperation, closing his eyes tight. "Please don't tell me you're making the _mom face_." He opened his eyes to see Riss with her hands on her hips, her brows raised and her lips pursed. The Jackson boy turned to Annabeth, "She's making the _mom face_."

Annabeth fought the smile off her face and pointed at Chrysaor, as if to remind the pair, "Not the time."

One of the dolphin warriors dragged Coach Hedge up from below.

"Let me go, you tuna fish!" Hedge bellowed. He tried to kick the warrior but his hoof clanged off his captor's armor. Judging from the hoof-shaped prints in the dolphin's breastplate and helmet, the coach had already made several attempts.

"Ah, a satyr," Chrysaor mused. "A little old and stringy, but Cyclopes will pay well for a morsel like him. Chain him up."

"I'm nobody's goat meat!" Hedge protested.

"Cover his mouth," Riss suggested. "Or you'll want to throw _yourselves_ overboard."

"Gag him as well," Chrysaor decided.

Percy elbowed his twin in the stomach and Riss seemed to just realize what she had suggested. "Oh, gods. Sorry, Hedge!"

"Why you gilded little—" Hedge's insult was cut short when the dolphin put a greasy wad of canvas in his mouth. Soon the coach was trussed like a rodeo calf and dumped with the other loot—crates of food, extra weapons, even the magical ice chest from the mess hall.

"You can't do this!" Annabeth shouted.

Chrysaor's laughter reverberated inside his gold face mask. Percy wondered if he was horribly disfigured under there, or if his gaze could petrify people the way his mother's could.

"I can do anything I want," Chrysaor said. "My warriors have been trained to perfection. They are vicious, cutthroat—"

"Dolphins," Percy noted.

Chrysaor shrugged. "Yes. So? They had some bad luck a few millennia ago, kidnapped the wrong person. Some of their crew got turned _completely_ into dolphins. Others went mad. But these…these survived as hybrid creatures. When I found them under the sea and offered them a new life, they became my loyal crew. They fear nothing!"

One of the warriors chattered at him nervously.

"Yes, yes," Chrysaor growled. "They fear _one_ thing, but it hardly matters. He's not here."

"Oh my gods!" Riss suddenly chirped. Her eyes were alight with mischief and she laughed, a high, pure sound. "Isn't _he_ just the greatest?" She smirked at Chrysaor, "It would be a _shame_ if he was to visit. Wouldn't it, _big brother_?"

 **XXXXX**

* * *

 **Okay, I know. It's exceptionally late. I'm sorry. Thank you for everyone who reads this and stuck with the story.**

 **I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT**

 **I was thinking maybe to only write three books in this series. I would cut out** ** _House of Hades_** **and explain why Riss was missing in** ** _Blood of Olympus_** **. It would include development of Riss' powers. Would you read that?**

 **Also: ANYONE READING** ** _RESOLVE_** **, MY FLASH FIC, I AM DELETING IT. I WILL ALSO HOPEFULL WRITE A FLASH AU IN IT'S PLACE.**

 **I hope that the kissing scene (which I have no idea how to write) makes up for the late update! I might take a while for the next update but hopefully not too long.**

 **Please review!**

 **~ Raven**


	10. KAPPA

_**KAPPA | OH, BEWARE THE MIGHTY GOD WHO SPECIALIZES IN CHILLED BEVERAGES**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _Rosy Fire_** **,** ** _gia1113_ , ****_NicoleR85_** **,** ** _luckycgo_** ** _, yasminasfeir1, Madhatterpotterhead, One Smart Waffle, aisleland, RavenDeathGirl0909_** ** _, Elle_** **AND** ** _Guest._** **THIS CHAPTER IS A BIT SHORT BUT I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER!**

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An idea began tickling at the base of Percy's skull at Riss' taunting words and with a single glance, he knew that his sister was thinking the same.

He was sure that it was bordering on _most insane plan ever_ but before he could pursue it, more dolphin warriors climbed the stairs, hauling up the rest of his friends. Jason was unconscious. Judging from the new bruises on his face, he'd tried to fight. Percy tried not to grin at the way Riss made an indignant noise beside him and shuffled.

Hazel and Piper were bound hand and foot. Piper had a gag in her mouth, so apparently the dolphins had discovered she could charmspeak. Frank was the only one missing, though two of the dolphins had bee stings covering their faces. Could Frank actually turn into a swarm of bees? Percy hoped so. If he was free aboard the ship somewhere, that could be an advantage, assuming Percy could figure out how to communicate with him.

"Excellent!" Chrysaor gloated. He directed his warriors to dump Jason by the crossbows. Riss made an insulted noise as Jason's body hit the deck with a _thud_. Then Chrysaor examined the girls like they were Christmas presents, which made Percy grit his teeth.

"The boy is no use to me," Chrysaor said. "But we have an understanding with the witch Circe. She will buy the women—either as slaves or trainees, depending on their skill. But not you, lovely Annabeth."

" _Gross_."

Annabeth recoiled. "You are _not_ taking me anywhere."

Percy's hand crept to his pocket. His pen had appeared back in his jeans. He only needed a moment's distraction to draw his sword. Maybe if he could take down Chrysaor quickly, his crew would panic.

He wished he knew something about Chrysaor's weaknesses. Usually Annabeth provided him with information like that, but apparently Chrysaor didn't _have_ any legends, so they were both in the dark.

The golden warrior tutted. "Oh, sadly, Annabeth, you will not be staying with me. I would love that. But you and my siblings are spoken for. A certain goddess is paying a high bounty for your capture—alive, if possible, though she didn't say you had to be unharmed."

At that moment, Piper caused the disturbance they needed. She wailed so loudly it could be heard through her gag. Then she fainted against the nearest guard, knocking him over. Hazel got the idea and crumpled to the deck, kicking her legs and thrashing like she was having a fit.

Percy drew Riptide and lashed out. The blade should have gone straight through Chrysaor's neck, but the golden warrior was unbelievably fast. He dodged and parried as the dolphin warriors backed up, guarding the other captives while giving their captain room to battle. They chattered and squeaked, egging him on, and Percy got the sinking suspicion the crew was used to this sort of entertainment. They didn't feel their leader was in any sort of danger.

Percy hadn't crossed swords with an opponent like this since…well, since he'd battled the war god Ares. Chrysaor was _that_ good. Many of Percy's powers had gotten stronger over the years, but now, too late, Percy realized that swordplay wasn't one of them.

Riss jumped away from her twin and 'older brother,' swinging the hilt of Nauticus into the nearest dolphin-man's temple. His blade flashed out towards Riss as he fell into the dolphin beside him and Riss turned quickly to dispatch of the next warrior, only to be met with a sword-point to the chest. The dolphin warrior growled and Riss glared back.

Annabeth shook her head as best as she could with a knife to her throat, "Don't!"

Riss frowned, lowering her sword. She was confused as to why Annabeth was telling her not to fight until she noticed the blood coating the hilt of her sword. The liquid was a somewhat-broken trail starting from the hole in her shoulder and dripping from her fingertips and Riss sneered. The daughter of Poseidon let the dolphin warriors grab her and drag her back over to her best friend and eyed the new wound in her shoulder.

"Oh, look, you ruined my favorite shirt." Riss glanced up as Chrysaor disarmed Percy, making Riptide fly into the sea. "Seriously? Gods, Perce, you're getting old."

Chrysaor laughed easily. He wasn't even winded. He pressed the tip of his golden sword against Percy's sternum.

"A good try," said the pirate. "But now you'll be chained and transported to Gaea's minions. They are quite eager to spill your blood and wake the goddess."

 **XXXXX**

Riss was planning something crazy.

Which wasn't really a stretch because _all_ Jackson plans were crazy.

"Gaea may want us," she spoke up. "But I don't that even she would want to risk the wrath of our captain. He is in an exceptionally cranky mood and he would not want to appear because of the likes of _you_." Riss said it with such disgust that Percy was amazed that she wasn't fake-gagging as well. "Our god _rules_ our camp and he is mighty!"

Okay. So maybe that was laying it on a bit thick but Annabeth got the message, which was enough. "Yes! Mr D! The great Dionysus!"

A ripple of uneasiness passed through the dolphin-men. One dropped his sword.

"Stand fast!" Chrysaor bellowed. "There is no god on this ship. They are trying to scare you."

"You should be scared!" Percy looked at the pirate crew with sympathy, joining in. "Dionysus will be severely cranky with you for having delayed our voyage. He will punish all of us. Didn't you notice the girls falling into the wine god's madness?"

Hazel and Piper had stopped the shaking fits. They were sitting on the deck, staring at Percy, but when he glared at them pointedly, they started hamming it up again, trembling and flopping around like fish. The dolphin-men fell over themselves trying to get away from their captives.

Riss tossed back her hair, eyeing the dolphin-man holding her. "They, too, fear the wrath of Dionysus! I, Nerissa Jackson, the _voice of the gods_ , can hear his angry words already." Her eyes flashed bright-green for emphasis, "He vows to curse you all again for crossing him! Run, while you still can!"

"Fakes!" Chrysaor roared. "Shut up, Riss Jackson. Your camp director is not here. He was recalled to Olympus. This is common knowledge."

"Of course," Riss agreed. "But he is _our_ god—our director! He _always_ comes to the aid of his disciples!" The dolphin-man holding Riss immediately let her go, "If you were smart, you would _fear him_."

"He _was_ ," Chrysaor corrected. "Everyone knows that."

Percy gestured at the golden warrior like he'd just betrayed himself. "You see? We are doomed."

"If you don't believe us, let's check the ice chest!" Riss pointed dramatically at the chest, "Brother, open that chest!"

Percy stormed over to the magical cooler. No one tried to stop him. He knocked open the lid and rummaged through the ice. There had to be one. Please. He was rewarded with a silver-and-red can of soda. He brandished it at the dolphin warriors as if spraying them with bug repellent.

"Behold!" Percy shouted. "The god's chosen beverage. Tremble before the horror of Diet Coke!"

Riss almost dyed laughing. The dolphin-men began to panic. They were on the edge of retreat. Percy could feel it.

"The god will take your ship," Percy warned. "He will finish your transformation into dolphins, or make you insane, or transform you into insane dolphins! Your only hope is to swim away now, quickly!"

"Ridiculous!" Chrysaor's voice turned shrill. He didn't seem sure where to level his sword—at Percy or his own crew.

"Save yourselves!" Percy warned. "It is too late for us!" Then he gasped and pointed to the spot where Frank was hiding. "Oh, no! Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

Nothing happened.

"I _said_ ," Percy repeated, "Frank is turning into a crazy dolphin!"

Frank stumbled out of nowhere, making a big show of grabbing his throat. "Oh, no," he said, like he was reading from a teleprompter. "I am turning into a crazy dolphin."

He began to change, his nose elongating into a snout, his skin becoming sleek and gray. He fell to the deck as a dolphin, his tail thumping against the boards.

The pirate crew disbanded in terror, chattering and clicking as they dropped their weapons, forgot the captives, ignored Chrysaor's orders, and jumped overboard. In the confusion, Annabeth moved quickly to cut the bonds on Hazel, Piper, and Coach Hedge and Riss, rather helpfully, literally threw some of the stragglers overboard.

Within seconds, Chrysaor was alone and surrounded. Percy and his friends had no weapons except for Annabeth's knife, Hedge's hooves and Riss' sword, but the murderous looks on their faces evidently convinced the golden warrior he was doomed. He backed to the edge of the rail.

"This isn't over, Jacksons," Chrysaor growled. "I will have my revenge—"

His words were cut short by Frank, who had changed his form again. An eight-hundred-pound grizzly bear can definitely break up a conversation. He sideswiped Chrysaor and raked the golden mask off his helmet. Chrysaor screamed, instantly covering his face with his arms and tumbling into the water.

They ran to the rail. Chrysaor had disappeared.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Riss cupped her hand around her ear, an innocent smile fixed on her face as she yelled into the water. "You didn't finish!"

"That was brilliant!" Annabeth kissed Percy, which made him feel a little better, and wrapped her arms around Riss in a quick hug.

"It was dramatic."

"It was desperate," Percy corrected. "And we need to get rid of this pirate trireme."

"Burn it?" Annabeth asked.

Percy looked at the Diet Coke in his hand. "No. I've got another idea."

"Is it a bad one?"

"When do I ever have good ones?"

"Good point, Perce."

 **XXXXX**

It took them longer than Percy wanted. As they worked, he kept glancing at the sea, waiting for Chrysaor and his pirate dolphins to return, but they didn't.

"Oh my gods, Percy," Riss finally grumbled. "Please, stop worrying so much."

Percy stuck his tongue out. "Shut up, Neri. I didn't see you completely calm when Jason was unconscious."

Riss turned to Jason and mumbled something about drowning her brother under her breath. She tended to Jason's wounds with gentle fingers but he wasn't as badly hurt as he looked. Mostly he was just ashamed that he'd gotten overpowered again. Leo got back on his feet, thanks to a little nectar.

They returned all their own supplies to the proper places and tidied up from the invasion while Coach Hedge had a field day on the enemy ship, breaking everything he could find with his baseball bat. When he was done, Percy loaded the enemy's weapons back on the pirate ship. Their storeroom was full of treasure, but Percy insisted that they touch none of it.

"I can sense about six million dollars' worth of gold aboard," Hazel said. "Plus diamonds, rubies—"

"Six m-million?" Frank stammered. "Canadian dollars or American?"

"Leave it," Percy said. "It's part of the tribute."

"Tribute?" Hazel asked.

"Oh." Piper nodded. "Kansas."

Jason grinned. He'd been there too when they'd met the wine god. "Crazy. But I like it."

"I don't," Riss grumbled, agreeing with Frank's dollar-sign eyes. "And it's not because I'm a jobless teenage girl with an eye for all things shiny."

Finally Percy went aboard the pirate ship and opened the flood valves. He asked Leo to drill a few extra holes in the bottom of the hull with his power tools, and Leo was happy to oblige.

The crew of the _Argo II_ assembled at the rail and cut the grappling lines. Piper brought out her new horn of plenty and, on Percy's direction, willed it to spew Diet Coke, which came out with the strength of a fire hose, dousing the enemy deck. Percy thought it would take hours, but the ship sank remarkably fast, filling with Diet Coke and seawater.

Riss extended her hands, willing the ship to float away from the _Argo II_ and it began to glow bright-green. The Jackson girl's summons made the air smell like the summer and grapes.

"Dionysus," Percy called, holding up Chrysaor's golden mask. "Or Bacchus—whatever. You made this victory possible, even if you weren't here. Your enemies trembled at your name…or your Diet Coke, or something. So, yeah, thank you." The words were hard to get out, but Percy managed not to gag. "We give this ship to you as tribute. We hope you like it."

"Six million in gold," Leo muttered. "He'd _better_ like it."

"Shh," Hazel scolded. "Precious metal isn't all that great. Believe me."

Percy threw the golden mask aboard the vessel, which was now sinking even faster , brown fizzy liquid spewing out the trireme's oar slots and bubbling from the cargo hold, turning the sea frothy brown.

The enemy ship was swamped by a tidal wave at a flick of Riss' wrist. She looked to where the ship disappeared, "All that gold…"

Leo steered the _Argo II_ away as the pirate vessel disappeared underwater.

"Isn't that polluting?" Piper asked.

"I wouldn't worry," Jason told her. "If Bacchus likes it, the ship should vanish."

Percy didn't know if that would happen, but he felt like he'd done all he could. He had no faith that Dionysus would hear them or care, much less help them in their battle against the twin giants, but he had to try. As the _Argo II_ headed east into the fog, Percy decided at least one good thing had come out of his sword fight with Chrysaor. He was feeling humble—even humble enough to pay tribute to the wine dude.

 **XXXXX**

After their bout with the pirates, they decided to fly the rest of the way to Rome. Jason insisted he was well enough to take sentry duty, along with Riss and Coach Hedge, who was still so charged with adrenaline that every time the ship hit turbulence, he swung his bat and yelled, "Die!"

They had a couple of hours before daybreak, so Jason suggested Percy try to get a few more hours of sleep.

"It's fine, man," Jason said. "Give somebody else a chance to save the ship, huh?"

Percy agreed, disappearing below-decks, and Riss kept her sea-green eyes on his retreating form. Her teeth pulled at her bottom lip and her fingers drilled at her side, the small crinkle reappearing between her brows.

Jason walked quietly behind his girlfriend, looping his arms around her waist. The son of Jupiter ran his lips over Riss' neck, "You didn't get hurt too bad, did you?"

Riss shook her head immediately and craned her neck to press a kiss to Jason's lips. She pulled away after a beat and huffed, tossing her head back to flop against Jason's shoulder. Weariness tugged at her senses and Riss was fighting off the voices in her head— _Dana Stevens, daughter of Apollo. Trenton Locard, son of—_

"I'm okay. Just a small wound that's already healed." Water swirled up around Riss' hand and slid elegantly across the bruises on Jason's face. The Jackson girl tilted her head, "Better?"

"Definitely."

"Good."

Jason pressed his lips back to Riss' for a few, precious moments before tugging her to stand by the edge of the deck and watch the darkening ocean. "You know…I adore you too."

 **XXXXX**

The knock on Percy's door was what woke him from his nightmarish sleep and Jason poked his head in. The bruises on his face were completely gone, thanks to Riss' powers and his blue eyes glittered with excitement.

"Hey, man," he said. "We're descending over Rome. You really should see this. Neri hasn't stopped jumping up and down."

Briefly, Percy wondered when Riss had become _more_ than just Riss to Jason (the upgrade to 'Neri' was slightly disarming) and the Jackson boy became slightly more attuned to the stunning smile Jason received from his girlfriend the second he reappeared on the deck, Percy beside him.

"Isn't it _beautiful_?" Riss asked breathlessly, head swiveling back around to stare at the view.

Percy had to agree that his sister was right. The sky was brilliant blue, as if the stormy weather had never happened. The sun rose over the distant hills, so everything below them shone and sparkled like the entire city of Rome had just come out of the car wash.

Percy had seen big cities before. He was from New York, after all. But the sheer vastness of Rome grabbed him by the throat and made it hard to breathe. The city seemed to have no regard for the limits of geography. It spread through hills and valleys, jumped over the Tiber with dozens of bridges, and just kept sprawling to the horizon. Streets and alleys zigzagged with no rhyme or reason through quilts of neighborhoods. Glass office buildings stood next to excavation sites. A cathedral stood next to a line of Roman columns, which stood next to a modern soccer stadium.

In some neighborhoods, old stucco villas with red-tiled roofs crowded the cobblestone streets, so that if Percy concentrated just on those areas, he could imagine he was back in ancient times. Everywhere he looked, there were wide piazzas and traffic-clogged streets. Parks cut across the city with a crazy collection of palm trees, pines, junipers, and olive trees, as if Rome couldn't decide what part of the world it belonged to—or maybe it just believed all the world still belonged to _Rome_.

Riss kept her eyes locked on Rome. She had always appreciated the ancient cities—the beauty that had existed before the metal and the electrical signals zipping everywhere. The daughter of Poseidon blamed Annabeth for most of her obsession but she was thankful for the daughter of Athena's input in her obsession. Mainly because of the way Jason was staring at her—with a mixture of adoration and bewilderment that made her head fuzz and her cheeks a brilliant shade of red.

"We're setting down in that park," Leo announced, pointing to a wide green space dotted with palm trees. "Let's hope the Mist makes us look like a large pigeon or something."

"I'd settle with a small plane," Riss scoffed in response. "Wish Thalia was here."

Jason shot her a look of confusion, which Riss waved away once she saw the look of absolute agreement on Percy's face. The _Argo II_ set down in the grassy field and the oars retracted.

The noise of traffic was all around them, but the park itself was peaceful and deserted. To their left, a green lawn sloped toward a line of woods. An old villa nestled in the shade of some weird-looking pine trees with thin curvy trunks that shot up thirty or forty feet, then sprouted into puffy canopies.

Riss made sarcastic jazz-hands once she saw the trees. " _Poofy_ …"

To their right, snaking along the top of a hill, was a long brick wall with notches at the top for archers. To the north, about a mile away through the folds of the city, the top of the Colosseum rose above the rooftops, looking just like it did in travel photos.

Jason pointed to the base of the archers' wall, where steps led down into some kind of tunnel.

"I think I know where we are," he said. "That's the Tomb of the Scipios."

Percy frowned. "Scipio…Reyna's pegasus?"

"Yes, Perce," Riss deadpanned, "that is a tomb belonging to a very-much alive _horse_. _Scipio_ as in the noble family, idiot."

The son of Poseidon made a face at his sister, only half-listening to Annabeth's comment about how amazing Rome was as Riss made an equally weird face in retaliation.

Jason nodded. "I've studied maps of Rome before. I've always wanted to come here, but…"

Nobody bothered finishing that sentence.

Riss clapped her hands. "Well, as much as I'd like to nerd-out with Annie and be a total romantic with my darling boyfriend—when in Rome and all that jazz—we have shit to do. Nico has until sunset and Rome has…about that much time too."

Percy shook himself out of his daze. "You're right. Annabeth…did you zero in on that spot from your bronze map?"

Her gray eyes turned extra thunderstorm dark. "Yes," she said carefully. "It's on the Tiber River. I think I can find it, but I should—"

"Take me along," Percy finished. "Yeah, you're right."

Annabeth glared daggers at him. "That's not—"

"Safe," he supplied. "One demigod walking through Rome alone. I'll go with you as far as the Tiber. We can use that letter of introduction, hopefully meet the river god Tiberinus. Maybe he can give you some help or advice. Then you can go on alone from there."

They had a silent staring contest, but Percy didn't back down. Riss wanted to say in a sing-song voice _awkward_ but she knew that if— _when_ —she was having issues with Jason, she hated to be interrupted or told that she was being stupid. Percy's stubbornness, paired with the manners Sally Jackson had drilled into them both, would ensure that Percy would not back down against Annabeth's whole _you can't come with_ position.

"Fine," Annabeth muttered. "Hazel, now that we're in Rome, do you think you can pinpoint Nico's location?"

Hazel blinked, as if coming out of a trance from watching the Percy/Annabeth Show. "Um…hopefully, if I get close enough. I'll have to walk around the city. Frank, would you come with me?"

Frank beamed. "Absolutely."

"And, uh…Leo," Hazel added. "It might be a good idea if you came along too. The fish-centaurs said we'd need your help with something mechanical."

"Yeah," Leo said, "no problem."

Frank's smile turned into something more like Chrysaor's mask. Riss stepped on his foot and shot him a look, one that Frank understood completely: _there is nothing to worry about, so stop it, Frank._

Piper drew her knife and set it on the rail. "Jason, Riss and I can watch the ship for now. I'll see what Katoptris can show me. But, Hazel, if you guys get a fix on Nico's location, don't go in there by yourselves. Come back and get us. It'll take all of us to fight the giants."

She didn't say the obvious: even all of them together wouldn't be enough, unless they had a god on their side.

Riss seemed to realize something. "Sorry but I'll be in Rome too. I need to hunt down a few gods' temples." She raised a hand before anyone could tell her how dangerous it was. "I know…but I need to speak to a few people. They can help with an issue I'm having."

The Jackson twins exchanged a knowing look, one that didn't go unnoticed by the others.

"Good idea," Percy said finally, cutting in before anyone could ask what Riss meant. "How about we plan to meet back here at…what?"

"Three this afternoon?" Jason suggested. "That's probably the latest we could rendezvous and still hope to fight the giants and save Nico. If something happens to change the plan, try to send an Iris-message."

The others nodded in agreement, but Percy noticed several of them glancing at Annabeth. Another thing no one wanted to say: Annabeth would be on a different schedule. She might be back at three, or much later, or never. But she would be on her own, searching for the Athena Parthenos.

Coach Hedge grunted. "That'll give me time to eat the coconuts—I mean dig the coconuts out of our hull. Percy, Annabeth…I don't like you two going off on your own. Just remember: _behave_. If I hear about any funny business, I will ground you until the Styx freezes over."

"We'll be back soon," Percy promised. He looked around at his friends, trying not to feel like this was the last time they'd ever be together. "Good luck, everyone."

Leo lowered the gangplank, and Percy and Annabeth were first off the ship after both of them gave Riss a tight hug.

Riss tried to shake off the terrible foreboding feeling in her chest and pecked Jason's lips before she was casually walking down the gangplank and disappearing into the beautiful city of Rome.

 **XXXXX**

Riss heaved out a breath as she stopped in front of the Tempio di Giove Capitolino.

 _The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus_.

On any regular occurrence, Riss would dry-heave and make faces at the very possibility of stepping into Zeus'—Jupiter's, whatever—temple. Despite her boyfriend being the son of Jupiter, Riss could never see herself liking the god.

But still, here she was. After a sixteen minute walk, Riss had arrived at her not-so-desired location and was trying to breathe like a normal human being.

The temple was gorgeous—all ancient pillars and beautiful history. Capitoline Hill was simply stunning and Riss could see herself living in the city. Preferably with the entire crew of the _Argo II_ , her parents and the demigods of Camp Half-Blood.

Riss stepped into the temple and huffed out a sigh. She sat down, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. "Well, I don't have any male, pure-white animals to sacrifice but I hope you'll speak with me anyway. I really need help."

 **XXXXX**

* * *

 **New chapter! This story will be a bit shorter than _Atlantic_ , I think. I also decided that this series will only be three books long and that House of Hades will be skipped entirely.**

 **Please review!**

 **~ Raven**


	11. LAMBDA

_**LAMBDA | GREGORY PECK AND AUDREY HEPBURN STEAL PERCY'S GIRL**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

* * *

 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _LuckyGo_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _yasminasfeir1, One Smart Waffle, Agazeamongstthestars, Eh_** **AND** ** _Guest._** **THE CHAPTERS WILL START TO GET SHORTER BY A LITTLE FROM NOW ON AND THERE AREN'T MANY LEFT UNTIL THE END OF THE BOOK!**

* * *

Riss bobbed her head in a nod, lips pursed tightly together and her eyes glowing luminescent green. She was agreeing to Jupiter's terms and although she was nervous about what it entailed, Riss was more than willing to make a deal with a god to save her friends.

"I swear it on the River Styx."

Silently, Riss slipped from the temple, pulling her jacket now closer around her shaking form. _What had she done_? The demigod pressed her lips tightly together and blew out a breath.

"I did what needed to be done."

 **XXXXX**

When Riss finally made it back to the _Argo II_ , her hair was flying around her face in a tangled mess of ebony and her sea-green eyes were rimmed with red. She hadn't been crying, no, but she was desperately trying to hold back tears. Jason stood up, getting up from the small picnic he had been having with Hedge and Piper.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked immediately, his hands drifting from Riss' shoulders to the tips of her fingers and back up to cup her cheeks. Jason was highly attuned to Riss' feelings, same as she was to his, and he could tell that something was wrong the second she came into view.

Riss' shoulders slumped. "I think I just made a big mistake." The girl waved away Jason's worried expression. "It was _necessary_. Just _please_ , trust me. Trust my judgment."

"Okay," the Grace boy nodded slowly. His heart weighed heavily in his chest but he agreed quickly to Riss' request. "Okay. I trust you, without a doubt."

"I adore you," Riss sighed gratefully and leant forward to kiss the son of Jupiter.

Jason exhaled breathily against Riss' lips and allowed himself to get lost in the moment. The quest had been draining—pulling all time for just pure relaxation away and shoving it into the category reserved for fighting monsters and figuring out what the Underworld was happening. Not even nights were relaxing, because it was either Jason or Riss experiencing a nightmare and waking the other up. Of course, they didn't mind as they helped the other fall asleep again but all the demigods were being pushed to their limits and were expected to just keep going.

The entire world was on the line.

Riss repeatedly pecked Jason's lips and moved on to different parts of his face, her fingers brushing the contours of his sharp features. Jason's eyes slipped shut in bliss, just feeling the tension seep out of his body at the daughter of Poseidon's touch.

The son of Jupiter pulled Riss into another passionate kiss (ignoring Piper's coo from behind them at the sweet sight) and picked her up, spinning the both of them in a half-circle. Riss beamed at the romantic action as Jason ran his fingers lovingly along her waist, replying, "I adore you too."

Riss smiled dreamily and fake-glared at her boyfriend after a moment. "Oh, you're not off the hook yet, mister. Just when did you plan on telling me it was your birthday? I had to get an Iris-Message from _Thalia_."

Jason blushed. "It just wasn't ever the right time to celebrate." He gestured around them, "But look at this. Great view, great girlfriend—"

"Great time to die at any moment?"

The Grace boy pinched at Riss' side, furrowing his brow at the pessimistic response, " _No_. I was going to say 'great time to be sixteen.'"

Riss wrinkled up her nose, looping her arms around her boyfriend's neck, "Don't remind me that you're almost an entire _year_ younger than me. It makes me feel _ancient_."

"Shut up," Jason smiled widely, pressing a kiss to Riss' nose. "You'll never be ancient to me." His pale blue eyes ran over the girl hugging him, finding her absolutely perfect, "I don't deserve you."

The dark-haired girl huffed out a breath. " _I_ don't deserve _you_ , Superman. But…can we just agree that we're too lame to be with anyone else and stay together? Because, you know, that was _totally_ a break-up line."

Jason rolled his eyes, "I may have busted my head a few times, but I'm not _that_ stupid."

"Better not be, darling," Riss mock-threatened and glanced over her shoulder, "Now, about that cake—" Riss' voice faltered and she let out a cry of annoyance, "Seriously! Perce, what have you done now!?"

The son of Jupiter groaned, allowing his head to drop onto Riss' shoulder because he had glanced behind him too. So much for a small birthday celebration with his girlfriend. That would clearly not be happening any time soon because Percy Jackson was running toward them and, just from his expression, they knew he brought bad news.

 **XXXXX**

"Gregory Peck. And Audrey Freaking Hepburn?" Riss repeated incredulously. "On a _scooter_?"

The small group had gathered on deck so that Coach Hedge could hear the story. When Percy was done, none of them could believe it. Riss was near-tears at her twin's hurried explanation, which, if they hadn't been demigods and had dealt with just about _anything_ , they wouldn't've believed.

But this was just a regular day in the life of a demigod.

"Not kidnapped, exactly," Percy said, refusing to acknowledge the fact that Riss sounded like she was making fun of him. "But I've got this bad feeling.…" He took a deep breath, like he was trying hard not to freak out. "Anyway, she's—she's gone. Maybe I shouldn't have let her, but—"

"You had to," Piper said. "You knew she had to go alone. Besides, Annabeth is tough and smart. She'll be fine."

Piper put some charmspeak in her voice, which maybe wasn't cool, but Percy needed to be able to focus. If they went into battle, Annabeth wouldn't want him getting hurt because he was too distracted about her. Riss shifted awkwardly, uncomfortable with her friend manipulating her brother but she stayed silent.

His shoulders relaxed a little. "Maybe you're right. Anyway, Gregory—I mean Tiberinus—said we had less time to rescue Nico than we thought. Hazel and the guys aren't back yet?"

Piper checked the time on the helm control. She hadn't realized how late it was getting. "It's two in the afternoon. We said three o'clock for a rendezvous."

"At the latest," Jason said.

Riss frowned, "Do any of us even have watches? I mean, no phones means no clocks and watches tend to…you know, get destroyed."

Percy pointed at Piper's dagger. "Tiberinus said you could find Nico's location…you know, with that."

Piper bit her lip. The last thing she wanted to do was check Katoptris for more terrifying images. "I've tried," she said. "The dagger doesn't always show what I want to see. In fact, it hardly _ever_ does."

"Please," Percy said. "Try again."

He pleaded with those sea-green eyes, like a cute baby seal that needed help. Piper wondered how Annabeth ever won an argument with this guy. The Cherokee girl glanced at Riss, noticing the similar puppy-dog eyes (plus pout) that she was sporting. The daughter of Aphrodite wondered how the Jackson twins' mother hadn't let them have whatever they wanted—Piper hadn't even know either of them long and she was already caving to the sea-green, puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine," the brunette sighed and drew her dagger.

"While you're at it," said Coach Hedge, "see if you can get the latest baseball scores. Italians don't cover baseball worth beans."

Riss raised a brow, "Hedge, shut up. Let Piper focus."

Piper studied the bronze blade. The light shimmered. She saw a loft apartment filled with Roman demigods. A dozen of them stood around a dining table as Octavian talked and pointed to a big map. Reyna paced next to the windows, gazing down at Central Park.

"That's not good," Jason muttered. "They've already set up a forward base in Manhattan."

"And that map shows Long Island," Percy said.

"They're scouting the territory," Jason guessed. "Discussing invasion routes."

"They look halfway done," Riss added quietly, seeing scribbles for invasion strategies in a long list on a piece of paper.

Piper did _not_ want to see that. She concentrated harder. Light rippled across the blade. She saw ruins—a few crumbling walls, a single column, a stone floor covered with moss and dead vines—all clustered on a grassy hillside dotted with pine trees.

"I was just there," Percy said. "That's in the old Forum."

The view zoomed in. On one side of the stone floor, a set of stairs had been excavated, leading down to a modern iron gate with a padlock. The blade's image zoomed straight through the doorway, down a spiral stairwell, and into a dark, cylindrical chamber like the inside of a grain silo.

Piper dropped the blade.

"What's wrong?" Jason asked. "It was showing us something."

Piper felt like the boat was back on the ocean, rocking under her feet. "We can't go there."

Percy frowned. "Piper, Nico is dying. We've got to find him. Not to mention, Rome is about to get destroyed."

"What aren't you telling us?" Riss asked tentatively, seeing the same look on Piper's face that she saw in her own mirror whenever she was keeping something from someone. Like now. "Pipes…"

The McLean girl's voice wouldn't work. She'd kept that vision of the circular room to herself for so long, now she found it impossible to talk about. She had a horrible feeling that explaining it to Percy, Riss and Jason wouldn't change anything. She couldn't stop what was about to happen.

She picked up the knife again. Its hilt seemed colder than usual.

Piper forced herself to look at the blade. She saw two giants in gladiator armor sitting on oversized praetors' chairs. The giants toasted each other with golden goblets as if they'd just won an important fight. Between them stood a large bronze jar. The vision zoomed in again. Inside the jar, Nico di Angelo was curled in a ball, no longer moving, all the pomegranate seeds eaten.

" _No_ …" Riss moaned out painfully, her fingers digging into Jason's arm.

"We're too late," Jason said.

"No," Percy said. "No, I can't believe that. Maybe he's gone into a deeper trance to buy time. We have to hurry."

The blade's surface went dark. Piper slipped it back into its sheath, trying to keep her hands from shaking. She hoped that Percy was right and Nico was still alive. On the other hand, she didn't see how that image connected with the vision of the drowning room. Maybe the giants were toasting each other because she and Riss and Percy and Jason were dead.

"We should wait for the others," Piper said. "Hazel, Frank, and Leo should be back soon."

"We can't wait," Percy insisted.

Coach Hedge grunted. "It's just two giants. If you guys want, I can take them."

"Uh, Coach," Jason said, "that's a great offer, but we need you to man the ship—or _goat_ the ship. Whatever."

Hedge scowled. "And let you four have all the fun?"

Percy gripped the satyr's arm. "Hazel and the others need you here. When they get back, they'll need your leadership. You're their rock."

"Yeah." Jason managed to keep a straight face. "Leo always says you're his rock. You can tell them where we've gone and bring the ship around to meet us at the Forum."

Riss didn't trust herself not to laugh so she just nodded quickly, trying to look serious.

"And here." Piper unstrapped Katoptris and put it in Coach Hedge's hands. The satyr's eyes widened. A demigod was never supposed to leave her weapon behind, but Piper was fed up with evil visions. She'd rather face her death without any more previews.

"Keep an eye on us with the blade," she suggested. "And you can check the baseball scores."

That sealed the deal. Hedge nodded grimly, prepared to do his part for the quest.

"All right," he said. "But if any giants come this way—"

"Feel free to blast them," Jason said.

"What about annoying tourists?"

"No," they all said in unison.

Riss frowned, "Why not? Evil tourists woke us up."

"Bah. Fine. Just don't take too long, or I'm coming after you with ballistae blazing."

 **XXXXX**

"You shouldn't have agreed to that!" Hera cried, storming into Olympus. Her image flickered from her Greek and Roman form but both sides were equally angry at her husband. "She has a _life_!"

"She _had_ a life," Zeus corrected coldly. "She is far too wild to be left to roam free."

Hera's eyes flashed with fury, "She is _not_ an _animal_ under your control, husband! So help me, if harm comes to her—"

The sky flashed with lightning as Zeus got up from his throne. " _Do not threaten me, wife._ I am still king here."

"You won't be for long," Hera promised coldly. "Not if she dies." With that, the goddess swirled from the room, appearing in the throne room of the only one who could help her. "Hello, brother."

Poseidon straightened in his throne. He was able to maintain his image, not feeling as conflicted between his Greek and Roman forms as his children kept him grounded. "Why have you come, Hera?"

 **XXXXX**

Finding the place was easy. Percy led them right to it, on an abandoned stretch of hillside overlooking the ruined Forum. Getting in was easy too. Jason's gold sword cut through the padlock, and the metal gate creaked open. No mortals saw them. No alarms went off. Stone steps spiraled down into the gloom.

"I'll go first," Jason said.

"No!" Piper yelped. Both boys turned toward her.

"Pipes, what is it?" Jason asked. "That image in the blade…you've seen it before, haven't you?"

She nodded, her eyes stinging. "I didn't know how to tell you. I saw the room down there filling with water. I saw the four of us drowning."

Jason and Percy both frowned.

"I can't drown," Percy said, though he sounded like he was asking a question.

" _We_ can't drown," Riss corrected, more adamantly than her twin.

"Maybe the future has changed," Jason speculated. "In the image you showed us just now, there wasn't any water."

Piper wished he was right, but she suspected they wouldn't be so lucky.

"Look," Percy said. "I'll check it out first. It's fine. Be right back."

Before Piper could object, he disappeared down the stairwell. She counted silently as they waited for him to come back. Somewhere around thirty-five, she heard his footsteps, and he appeared at the top, looking more baffled than relieved.

"Good news: no water—"

Riss scoffed, "That's _not_ good news."

"—bad news: I don't see any exits down there. And, uh, weird news: well, you should see this…"

"And…now I'm scared."

They descended cautiously. Percy took the lead, with Riptide drawn. Riss followed, then Piper, and Jason walked behind her, guarding their backs. The stairwell was a cramped corkscrew of masonry, no more than six feet in diameter. Even though Percy had given the "all clear," Piper kept her eyes open for traps. With every turn of the stairs, she anticipated an ambush. She had no weapon, just the cornucopia on a leather cord over her shoulder. If worse came to worst, the boys' swords wouldn't do much good in such close quarters. Maybe Piper could shoot their enemies with high-velocity smoked hams.

Riss had extracted a small blade from her jacket ("Neri, where in the Underworld did you get that?") and was tossing it up a down in her hand; catching the blade, tossing it and then catching the hilt gracefully, Riss kept her gaze sharp and her tongue sharper.

"We look like morons," she huffed. "I'm sure nothing's down here."

As they wound their way underground, Piper saw old graffiti gouged into the stones: Roman numerals, names and phrases in Italian. That meant other people had been down here more recently than the Roman Empire, but Piper wasn't reassured. If monsters were below, they'd ignore mortals, waiting for some nice juicy demigods to come along. Finally, they reached the bottom.

Percy turned. "Watch this last step."

He jumped to the floor of the cylindrical room, which was five feet lower than the stairwell, and helped his sister down too. Why would someone design a set of stairs like that? Maybe the room and the stairwell had been built during different time periods. She wanted to turn and exit, but she couldn't do that with Jason behind her, and she couldn't just leave Percy and Riss down there. She clambered down, and Jason followed. The room was just like she'd seen it in Katoptris' blade, except there was no water. The curved walls had once been painted with frescoes, which were now faded to eggshell white with only flecks of color. The domed ceiling was about fifty feet above.

Around the back side of the room, opposite the stairwell, nine alcoves were carved into the wall. Each niche was about five feet off the floor and big enough for a human-sized statue, but each was empty.

The air felt cold and dry. As Percy had said, there were no other exits.

"All right." Percy raised his eyebrows. "Here's the weird part. Watch."

He stepped to the middle of the room.

Instantly, green and blue light rippled across the walls. They heard the sound of a fountain but there was no water. There didn't seem to be any source of light except for Percy's and Jason's blades.

"Do you smell the ocean?" Percy asked.

Riss' eyes narrowed, "Stranger: I can _feel_ it. At least, I can feel what was here _decades_ ago." She wheezed out a cough, "Gods, I feel gross in here. Like I'm too dry and all the water is seeping out of me."

The scent of salt water and storm was getting stronger, like a summer hurricane approaching.

"An illusion?" Piper asked. All of a sudden, she felt strangely thirsty.

"I don't know," Percy said. "I feel like there should be water here—lots of water. But there isn't any. I've never been in a place like this."

Jason moved to the row of niches. He touched the bottom shelf of the nearest one, which was just at his eye level. "This stone…it's embedded with seashells. This is a nymphaeum."

Piper's mouth was definitely getting drier. "A what?"

"We have one at Camp Jupiter," Jason said, "on Temple Hill. It's a shrine to the nymphs."

" _Nice_ nymphs," Riss inquired hopefully but her only answer was a shrug.

The alcove was studded with cowries, conches, and scallops. The seashells seemed to dance in the watery light. They were ice-cold to the touch.

Piper had always thought of nymphs as friendly spirits—silly and flirtatious, generally harmless. They got along well with the children of Aphrodite. They loved to share gossip and beauty tips. This place, though, didn't feel like the canoe lake back at Camp Half-Blood, or the streams in the woods where Piper normally met nymphs. This place felt unnatural, hostile, and _very_ dry.

Jason stepped back and examined the row of alcoves. "Shrines like this were all over the place in Ancient Rome. Rich people had them outside their villas to honor nymphs, to make sure the local water was always fresh. Some shrines were built around natural springs, but most were man-made."

"So…no actual nymphs lived here?" Piper asked hopefully.

"Not sure," Jason said. "This place where we're standing would have been a pool with a fountain. A lot of times, if the nymphaeum belonged to a demigod, he or she would invite nymphs to live there. If the spirits took up residence, that was considered good luck."

"For the owner," Percy guessed. "But it would also bind the nymphs to the new water source, which would be great if the fountain was in a nice sunny park with fresh water pumped in through the aqueducts—"

"But this place has been underground for centuries. Completely void of _any_ source of water," Riss continued. "It would drive me crazy to be here, without water."

"Dry and buried," Piper added. "What would happen to the nymphs?"

The sound of water changed to a chorus of hissing, like ghostly snakes. The rippling light shifted from sea blue and green to purple and sickly lime. Above them, the nine niches glowed. They were no longer empty. Standing in each was a withered old woman, so dried up and brittle they reminded Piper of mummies—except mummies didn't normally move. Their eyes were dark purple, as if the clear blue water of their life source had condensed and thickened inside them. Their fine silk dresses were now tattered and faded. Their hair had once been piled in curls, arranged with jewels in the style of Roman noblewomen, but now their locks were disheveled and dry as straw.

" _What would happen to the nymphs_?" Asked the creature in the center niche.

She was in even worse shape than the others. Her back was hunched like the handle of a pitcher. Her skeletal hands had only the thinnest papery layer of skin. On her head, a battered wreath of golden laurels glinted in her road-kill hair.

She fixed her purple eyes on Piper. "What an interesting question, my dear. Perhaps the nymphs would still be here, suffering, waiting for revenge."

Riss gulped nervously. She was incredibly pale, feeling a type of kinship and pain for the desiccated nymphs. Her heart ached, her mouth falling open as she _felt_ the dehydration seep from the nymphs. "You can say 'I told you soon' now, Pipes."

 **XXXXX**

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 **This chapter is a bit all over the place and Riss didn't have a large part at the end but the next chapter, she'll definitely have a bigger role.**

 **I've already planned out how _Mediterranean_ will end and I swear, it will be worth the wait!**

 **Please review!**

 **~ Raven**


	12. MU

_**MU | CHILDREN OF POSEIDON LEARN THE DANGERS OF DROWNING**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

* * *

 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _FireBurnsTheBrightestInTheDark_ , ****_NicoleR85_ , _yasminasfeir1_ , _LuckyGo_ AND _DreamHunterVo_** ** _._** **THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING, I HOPE YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER!**

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THE DEAL THAT RISS MADE IN THE LAST CHAPTER WILL HAVE A REALLY BIG IMPACT ON EVERYONE AND WILL DEFINITELY HAVE THE BIGGEST IMPACT ON THE NEXT BOOK, _PACIFIC_

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Alongside her fatal flaw of loving people far too much and being endlessly loyal, Nerissa Jackson held a great love for _power_. She liked being in control; she liked being able to move the chess pieces in her own game and _win_. Occasionally, Riss relinquished control to others that she knew to be more adept than her in some situations but still, she liked being able to dictate what happened and when.

She lost that now—her control was lost to the wind as the nymphs cackled. The door behind them had disappeared and a blank wall stared back at them, leaving them with crazy water-manipulators and no way out.

Riss stowed her small blade—that would do _nothing_ in the whole scheme of things—and Nauticus appeared in her tight grip. Her knuckles were white in a death grip as she balanced herself in front of Piper, between Jason and Percy, who had their swords ready. Sadly, Piper was their weakest link— _weapon_ -wise—and Riss knew they would all be somewhat distracted with protecting her.

"Who are you?" Percy demanded.

The central nymph turned her head. "Ah…names. We once had names. I was Hagno, the first of the nine!"

Riss pursed her lips unhelpfully, "Well, that's unfortunate."

"The nine," Jason repeated. "The nymphs of this shrine. There were always nine niches."

"Of course." Hagno bared her teeth in a vicious smile. "But we are the _original_ nine, Jason Grace, the ones who attended the birth of your father."

Jason's sword dipped and Riss used her pointer finger to balance the sword back up. Jason got the hint, raising his blade again. "You mean Jupiter? You were there when he was _born_?"

"Zeus, we called him then," Hagno said. "Such a squealing whelp. We attended Rhea in her labor. When the baby arrived, we hid him so that his father, Kronos, would not eat him. Ah, he had lungs, that baby! It was all we could do to drown out the noise so Kronos could not find him. When Zeus grew up, we were promised eternal honors. But that was in the old country, in Greece."

The other nymphs wailed and clawed at their niches. Riss narrowed her eyes at how the nymphs seemed to be _stuck_ in place, unable to move, unable to save themselves from an eternity of waterless misery.

"When Rome rose to power, we were invited here," Hagno said. "A son of Jupiter tempted us with favors. _A new home_ , he promised. _Bigger and better! No down payment, an excellent neighborhood. Rome will last forever_."

"Forever," the others hissed.

"First mistake: realtors always lie."

"We gave in to temptation," Hagno said. "We left our simple wells and springs on Mount Lycaeus and moved here. For centuries, our lives were wonderful! Parties, sacrifices in our honor, new dresses and jewelry every week. All the demigods of Rome flirted with us and honored us."

The nymphs wailed and sighed. Riss' eyes fell and her heart clenched. She couldn't imagine a life like the nymphs'—arid and empty, void of all hope as they simply wasted away. Eventually, the nymphs would only be piles of dust but not before millennium of torture.

"But Rome did not last," Hagno snarled. "The aqueducts were diverted. Our master's villa was abandoned and torn down. We were forgotten, buried under the earth, but we could not leave. Our life sources were bound to this place. Our old master never saw fit to release us. For centuries, we have withered here in the darkness, thirsty…so thirsty."

The others clawed at their mouths. They reminded Riss as rabid pack animals—Hagno was the alpha, the ringleader, and they were all viciously, equally insane.

"I'm sorry for you," Piper said, trying to use charmspeak. "That must have been terrible. But we are not your enemies. If we can help you—"

"Oh, such a sweet voice!" Hagno cried. "Such beautiful features—gentle ones to contrast with the lovely Riss' sharp ones. I was once young like you. My voice was as soothing as a mountain stream. But do you know what happens to a nymph's mind when she is trapped in the dark, with nothing to feed on but hatred, nothing to drink but thoughts of violence?" She cackled, eyeing Piper, "Yes, my dear. You can help us."

Percy raised his hand and gestured to himself and Riss, "Uh…we're children of Poseidon. Maybe we can summon a new water source."

"Ha!" Hagno cried, and the other eight echoed, "Ha! Ha!"

"Indeed, son of Poseidon," Hagno said. "I know your father well. Ephialtes and Otis promised you would come."

Riss tilted her head, "You're working for them? Because they're near to you or because Gaea has wheedled her way into your minds?"

"Because they are our neighbors, peaceful one," Hagno smiled and Riss frowned. She had never been called 'peaceful' before—she was _far_ more aggressive than her twin brother. "Their chambers lie beyond this place, where the aqueduct's water was diverted for the games. Once we have dealt with you…once you have _helped_ us…the twins have promised we will never suffer again."

Hagno turned to Jason. "You, child of Jupiter—for the horrible betrayal of your predecessor who brought us here, you shall pay. I know the sky god's powers. I raised him as a baby! Once, we nymphs controlled the rain above our wells and springs. When I am done with you, we will have that power again. And Percy and Riss Jackson, children of the sea god…from you, we will take water, an endless supply of water."

"Endless?" Percy's eyes darted from one nymph to the other. "Uh…look, I don't know about _endless_. But maybe I could spare a few gallons."

Riss shoved her brother behind her slightly. "For the love of the Underworld, _shut up_ , Perseus."

"And you, Piper McLean." Hagno's purple eyes glistened. "So young, so lovely, so gifted with your sweet voice. From you, we will reclaim our beauty. We have saved our last life force for this day. We are very thirsty. From you three, we shall drink!"

All nine niches glowed. The nymphs disappeared, and water poured from their alcoves—sickly dark water, like oil. Riss took one look at the water and did the only thing she could think to do in those terrifying moments.

She screamed.

 **XXXXX**

Poseidon clutched at his chest, feeling a terror that was not his own—something that defied all the barriers between the gods and the mortals. The sea god hunched over, feeling the ache burn in his chest.

Hera ran forward, feeling the similar—although, not as strong—twinge in her chest. She was sure that _all_ the gods and goddesses, either in their Greek or Roman form, could feel the same. "Brother! The link…"

"Stronger…" Poseidon gasped out. He straightened after a moment. "Always stronger."

 **XXXXX**

Riss hated losing control—which was already clear—but she hated something more.

She hated being afraid of water.

Water had always been her safe haven. Sally often joked that Riss could swim before she could walk and if she could, the sea-green-eyed girl would live her entire life in the water. Riss had _never_ been scared of the water, had never felt any fear in her father's element.

The water was now up to their knees and Riss was hyperventilating. Her fingers were tangled in Percy's shirt and he was trying desperately to calm his sister, running his fingers through her inky locks. _They couldn't drown_ , spun in haphazard patterns through Riss' head but the sane part of her screamed _this isn't normal water_!

"I could try lightning," Jason said. "Maybe blast a hole in the roof?"

"That could bring down the whole room and crush us," Piper said.

"Or electrocute us," Percy added. He glanced towards his sister, who normally would've provided comic relief, but she was too scared. Riss' eyes were wide and wild with fright. She was still trembling, unable to move an inch.

"Not many choices," Jason muttered. Fear was written on his face for Riss, worried that she was going to pass out and he desperately wanted to reach out and gather her in his arms. He promised himself, that if they got out of there, Jason would arrange a beautiful dinner for them both, just to relax.

"Let me search the bottom," Percy said. "If this place was built as a fountain, there _has_ to be a way to drain the thing. You guys, check the niches for secret exits. Maybe the seashells are knobs, or something."

It was a desperate idea, but Piper was glad for something to do. Percy untangled Riss' fingers from his shirt and jumped in the water.

"No! No, no, no!" Riss screeched, ready to jump into the water. " _Percy_! No! No! NO!"

Jason caught Riss by the waist, keeping her from going after her twin as she flailed and shrieked. She was not reacting well, seemingly sensing that the others couldn't. Blackness coated her vision and her nose bled at the screeching pressure in her head.

 _Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon…_ dead. _Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon…_ dead.

Jason tried to hush her as Piper climbed from niche to niche, kicking and pounding, wiggling seashells embedded in the stone; but they had no luck. Riss wouldn't stop yelling or fighting Jason's tight grip and none of the seashells gave way under Piper's desperate, searching fingers.

Sooner than expected, Percy broke the surface, gasping and flailing. Piper offered her hand, and he almost pulled her in before she could help him up. Riss finally stopped screaming and hitting Jason's arms, immediately collapsing into Percy with sobbing, shaking breaths of pure relief.

"Couldn't breathe," the Jackson boy choked, gripping Riss tightly as he shook in fear like his sister. "The water…not normal. Hardly made it back."

The life force of the nymphs was so poisoned and malicious, even a son of the sea god couldn't control it. Riss could sense that but in her fear-muddled state, she wasn't even able to speak. _Death_ was radiating off the entire chamber and the voices in Riss' head were finally becoming silent, like sand sliding through her fingers.

As the water rose around her, Piper felt it affecting her too. Her leg muscles trembled like she'd been running for miles. Her hands turned wrinkled and dry, despite being in the middle of a fountain.

The boys moved sluggishly. Jason's face was pale. He seemed to be having trouble holding his sword. Percy was drenched and shivering. His hair didn't look quite so dark, as if the color was leaching out. Riss was looking the worst; she was pale, the scar on her face standing out even more and cracks extended from it, due to the water being leeched out of her. Droplets of blood ran in a slow stream from her nose and gathered over her lip.

"They're taking our power," Piper said. "Draining us."

"Jason," Percy coughed, "do the lightning."

Jason raised his sword. The room rumbled but no lightning appeared. The roof didn't break. Instead, a miniature rainstorm formed at the top of the chamber. Rain poured down, filling the fountain even faster, but it wasn't normal rain. The stuff was just as dark as the water in the pool. Every drop stung Piper's skin.

"Not what I wanted," Jason said.

Riss hissed loudly, trying (and failing) to move away from the water. Smoke curled off Riss' skin where the rain fell, like it was acidic and melting off her skin. The water was up to their necks now.

"We'll survive," Piper murmured to herself, but she couldn't charmspeak her way out of this. Soon the poisonous water would be over their heads. They'd have to swim, and this stuff was already paralyzing them.

They would drown, just like in the visions she'd seen.

Percy started pushing the water away with the back of his hand, like he was shooing a bad dog. "Can't—can't control it!"

Piper felt like someone had grabbed the scruff of her neck and exposed the bones. She clutched her cornucopia. "We can't fight this," she said. "If we hold back, that just makes us weaker."

"What do you mean?" Jason shouted over the rain.

The water was up to their chins. Another few inches, and they'd have to swim. But the water wasn't halfway to the ceiling yet. Piper hoped that meant that they still had time.

"The horn of plenty," she said. "We have to overwhelm the nymphs with _fresh_ water, give them more than they can use. If we can dilute this poisonous stuff—"

"Can your horn do that?" Percy struggled to keep his head above water, which was obviously a new experience for him. He looked scared out of his mind. Riss wasn't faring much better but she had stopped yelling in terror.

"Only with your help." Piper was beginning to understand how the horn worked.

The good stuff it produced didn't come from nowhere. She'd only been able to bury Hercules in groceries when she had concentrated on all her positive experiences with the crew of the _Argo II_. To create enough clean fresh water to fill this room, she needed to go even deeper, tap her emotions even more. Unfortunately, she was losing her ability to focus.

"I need you both to channel everything you've got into the cornucopia," she said. "Percy, Riss, think about the sea."

"Salt water?"

"Doesn't matter! As long as it's clean. Jason, think about rainstorms— _much_ more rain. Both of you hold the cornucopia."

They huddled together as the water lifted them off their ledges. Piper wasn't sure if the same strategy could work with _three_ other people, but she put one arm around each boy, as they were the closest and Percy was clutching Riss, and tried to keep them afloat as they held the cornucopia between them.

Nothing happened. The rain came down in sheets, still dark and acidic. Piper's legs felt like lead. The rising water swirled, threatening to pull her under. She could feel her strength fading.

"No good!" Jason yelled, spitting water.

"We're getting nowhere," Percy agreed.

"You have to work together," Piper cried, hoping she was right. "All three of you think of clean water—a storm of water. Don't hold anything back. Picture all your power, all your strength leaving you."

"That's not hard!" Percy said.

"But _force_ it out!" she said. "Offer up everything, like—like you're already dead, and your only goal is to help the nymphs. It's got to be a gift…a sacrifice."

They got quiet at that word.

"Let's try again," Jason said. "Together."

"A _sacrifice_ …" Riss muttered quietly, recognition in her eyes. It wasn't her time yet—they wouldn't die. "I can do that."

Wordlessly, Riss reached out, placing her hands on Jason and Percy's shoulders. Her eyes shot open wide, glowing green and she immediately felt weightless. But her _power_ was being ripped away from her and _gods_ , was it painful. Riss screamed, her voice echoing in the chamber and her back arched in agony. Light burst from her body, increasing Piper and the boys' power tenfold and clear water blasted from the horn with such force, it pushed them against the wall. The rain changed to a white torrent, so clean and cold, it made them all gasp in surprise.

"It's working!" Jason cried.

"Too well," Percy yelled back. "We're filling the room even faster!"

He was right. The water rose so quickly, the roof was now only a few feet away.

"Don't stop!" Piper instructed. "We have to dilute the poison until the nymphs are cleansed."

"What if they _can't_ be cleansed?" Jason asked. "They've been down here turning evil for thousands of years."

"Just don't hold back," Piper said. "Give everything. Even if we go under—" Her head hit the ceiling. The rainclouds dissipated and melted into the water. The horn of plenty kept blasting out a clean torrent.

Riss screamed again and the water blasted out of cornucopia even stronger. She was giving _everything_ to that stupid shell. Green light encompassed them all, blinding the other demigods and forcing them to look away as the nymphs were _finally_ cleansed.

 **XXXXX**

Piper kicked upwards as the water drained from the room, recovering from her few moments of unconsciousness.

"Neri?" Percy asked desperately, not being able to see his sister away near them, "Neri!"

Jason was unconscious, limp in Piper's arms as she gripped him and Percy. Percy was breathing on his own when all the water had drained away and left them on the damp floor, Riss appearing unharmed.

"Jason!" She tried desperately to think. Should she turn him on his side? Slap his back?

"Piper," Percy said and Piper looked at him. He was standing, Riss cradled in his arms. She was awake but weak. "I can help."

He knelt next to her and touched Jason's forehead. Water gushed from Jason's mouth. His eyes flew open, and a clap of thunder threw Percy, Riss and Piper backward. When Piper's vision cleared, she saw Jason sitting up, still gasping, but the color was coming back to his face.

"Sorry," he coughed. "Didn't mean to—"

Percy placed Riss down gently in Jason's lap, watching with a smile as the blonde cradled Riss lovingly to his chest. A tired but incredibly bright smile lit up Riss' face and she nuzzled her face into Jason's neck.

Percy grinned. "In case you're wondering, that was clean water in your lungs. I could make it come out with no problem."

"Thanks, man." Jason clasped his hand weakly. "But I think Piper and Riss are the real heroes. They saved us all."

 _Yes, they did_ , a voice echoed through the chamber.

The niches glowed. Nine figures appeared, but they were no longer withered creatures. They were young, beautiful nymphs in shimmering blue gowns, their glossy black curls pinned up with silver and gold brooches. Their eyes were gentle shades of blue and green. As Piper watched, eight of the nymphs dissolved into vapor and floated upward. Only the nymph in the center remained.

"Hagno?" Piper asked.

The nymph smiled. "Yes, my dear. I didn't think I would see such _raw power_ from a demigod, even from a child of the Big Three." Hagno eyed Riss with a slight smile, as if she could see something the others couldn't, and she merely stared back, frail in Jason's grasp. The nymph looked at the group as a whole, "I didn't think such selflessness existed in mortals…especially in demigods. No offense."

Percy got to his feet. "How could we take offense? You just tried to drown us and suck out our lives."

" _Tact_ ," Riss hissed quietly but with no real energy.

Hagno winced. "Sorry about that. I was not myself. But you have reminded me of the sun and the rain and the streams in the meadows. Percy and Jason, thanks to you, I remembered the sea and the sky. I am cleansed. Thanks to you, Riss, as you showed me _light_. But mostly, thanks to Piper. She shared something even better than clear running water." Hagno turned to the daughter of Aphrodite, "You have a good nature, Piper. And I'm a nature spirit. I know what I'm talking about."

Hagno pointed to the other side of the room. The stairs to the surface reappeared. Directly underneath, a circular opening shimmered into existence, like a sewer pipe, just big enough to crawl through.

"You may return to the surface," Hagno said. "Or, if you insist, you may follow the waterway to the giants. But choose quickly, because both doors will fade soon after I am gone. That pipe connects to the old aqueduct line, which feeds both this nymphaeum and the hypogeum that the giants call home."

"Ugh." Percy pressed on his temples. "Please, no more complicated words."

"Oh, _home_ is not a complicated word." Hagno sounded completely sincere. "I thought it was, but now you have unbound us from this place. My sisters have gone to seek new homes…a mountain stream, perhaps, or a lake in a meadow. I will follow them. I cannot wait to see the forests and grasslands again, and the clear running water."

" _Home_ is a complicated word if you have more than one," Riss informed the nymph quietly. "The crew of the _Argo II_ is my _home_. Pick yours carefully this time."

Hagno smiled gratefully, "I will, Riss Jackson. I will not be foolish as I was before."

"Uh," Percy said nervously, "things have changed up above in the last few thousand years."

"Nonsense," Hagno said. "How bad could it be? Pan would not allow nature to become tainted. I can't wait to see him, in fact."

Percy looked like he wanted to say something, but he stopped himself. Riss frowned mournfully.

"Good luck, Hagno," Piper said. "And thank you."

The nymph smiled one last time and vaporized.

Riss lowered her head sadly and pressed her palms together, "I pray for her. I pray for all the nymphs once they discover that Pan is dead." She ignored Piper and Jason's shocked looks and simply looked at Percy hopefully, "Grover will look after them, right?"

Percy nodded, "I'm sure he will, Neri. We know G-Man. He'll look after them."

Briefly, the nymphaeum glowed with a softer light, like a full moon. Exotic spices and blooming roses perfumed the room and she could hear distant music and happy voices talking and laughing.

"What is that?" Jason asked nervously.

Piper smiled lightly, "The ghosts are dancing. Come on. We'd better go meet the giants."

 **XXXXX**

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 **This chapter showed a softer (more terrified) side of Riss and, although she helped save them, she needed saving too.** **I wanted to show that Riss wasn't someone who did the saving all the time.**

 **Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it.**

 **~ Raven**


	13. NU

_**NU |**_ **TWO GIANTS DRESSED AS A BALLERINA AND GLADIATOR TRY TO START A PARTY**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _One Smart Waffle_ , ****_NicoleR85_** **,** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _klrsmurf1996_ , _Brozekey3215_ AND ****_LuckyGo_** ** _._** **THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING. I HOPE YOU LIKE THE CHAPTER AFTER WAITING FOR IT FOR SO LONG!**

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 **tbhposey:** Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm so glad that you like _Mediterranean_ and _Volatile_! I hope that you stick with this story until the end!

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Percy took the lead as they crawled down the drainage pipe. After thirty feet, it opened into a wider tunnel. To their left, somewhere in the distance, Percy heard rumbling and creaking, like a huge machine needed oiling. He had absolutely no desire to find out what was making that sound, so he figured that must be the way to go.

Several hundred feet later, they reached a turn in the tunnel. Percy held up his hand, signaling Jason and Piper to wait. He peeked around the corner.

The corridor opened into a vast room with twenty-foot ceilings and rows of support columns. It looked like the same parking-garage-type area Percy had seen in his dreams, but now much more crowded with stuff.

The creaking and rumbling came from huge gears and pulley systems that raised and lowered sections of the floor for no apparent reason. Water flowed through open trenches (oh, great, more water), powering waterwheels that turned some of the machines. Other machines were connected to huge hamster wheels with hellhounds inside. Percy couldn't help thinking of Mrs O'Leary, and how much she would hate being trapped inside one of those.

Suspended from the ceiling were cages of live animals—a lion, several zebras, a whole pack of hyenas, and even an eight-headed hydra. Ancient-looking bronze and leather conveyor belts trundled along with stacks of weapons and armor, sort of like the Amazons' warehouse in Seattle, except this place was obviously much older and not as well organized.

"What is it?" Piper whispered.

Percy wasn't even sure how to answer. He didn't see the giants, so he gestured for his friends to come forward and take a look.

About twenty feet inside the doorway, a life-size wooden cutout of a gladiator popped up from the floor. It clicked and whirred along a conveyor belt, got hooked on a rope, and ascended through a slot in the roof.

Jason murmured, "What the heck?"

Riss pulled a face, balancing between Percy and Jason. She pointed towards the praetor chairs on the dais, "Is…is that Nico?"

Piper frowned, eyeing the bronze jar. "Yeah. But that's too easy."

"Of course," Percy said.

"But we have no choice," Jason said. "We've got to save Nico."

"Yeah." Percy started across the room, picking his way around conveyor belts and moving platforms.

The hellhounds in the hamster wheels paid them no attention. They were too busy running and panting, their red eyes glowing like headlights. The animals in the other cages gave them bored looks and Riss cooed at them. Oddly, she had always quite liked hellhounds but that was probably because of Mrs O'Leary.

They jumped over a water trench and ducked under a row of caged wolves. They had made it about halfway to the bronze jar when the ceiling opened over them. A platform lowered. Standing on it like an actor, with one hand raised and his head high, was the purple-haired giant Ephialtes.

The 'Big F,' as Percy called him, was small by giant standards—about twelve feet tall—but he had tried to make up for it with his loud outfit. He'd changed out of the gladiator armor and was now wearing a Hawaiian shirt that even Dionysus would've found vulgar. It had a garish print made up of dying heroes, horrible tortures, and lions eating slaves in the Colosseum. The giant's hair was braided with gold and silver coins. He had a ten-foot spear strapped to his back, which wasn't a good fashion statement with the shirt. He wore bright white jeans and leather sandals on his…well, not feet, but curved snakeheads. The snakes flicked their tongues and writhed as if they didn't appreciate holding up the weight of a giant.

Ephialtes smiled at the demigods like he was really, really pleased to see them. That was an immediate red flag and Riss shifted uncomfortably.

"At last!" he bellowed. "So very happy! Honestly, I didn't think you'd make it past the nymphs, but it's so much better that you did. Much more entertaining. You're just in time for the main event!"

Jason and Piper closed ranks on either side of Percy and Riss. Having them there made the both feel a little better. This giant was smaller than a lot of monsters he had faced, but something about him made Percy's skin crawl. Ephialtes' eyes danced with a crazy light.

"He's freaking crazier than Mr D," Riss scowled, her voice extremely low.

"We're here," Percy said, which sounded kind of obvious once he had said it and ignored his sister's comment. "Let our friend go."

"Of course!" Ephialtes said. "Though I fear he's a bit past his expiration date. Otis, where are you?"

"Of course!" Ephialtes said. "Though I fear he's a bit past his expiration date. Otis, where are you?"

A stone's throw away, the floor opened, and the other giant rose on a platform.

"Otis, finally!" his brother cried with glee. "You're not dressed the same as me! You're…" Ephialtes' expression turned to horror. " _What are you wearing_?"

Otis looked like the world's largest, grumpiest ballet dancer. He wore a skin-tight baby-blue leotard and the toes of his massive dancing slippers were cut away so that his snakes could protrude. A diamond tiara was nestled in his green, firecracker-braided hair. He looked glum and miserably uncomfortable, but he managed a dancer's bow, which couldn't have been easy with snake feet and a huge spear on his back.

"Gods and Titans!" Ephialtes yelled. "It's show-time! What are you _thinking_?"

"I didn't want to wear the gladiator outfit," Otis complained. "I still think a ballet would be perfect, you know, while Armageddon is going on." He raised his eyebrows hopefully at the demigods. "I have some extra costumes—"

Riss looked like she was trying not to cry and laugh at the same time and she was desperately shaking her head with a fearful look in her eyes. No part of her wanted to dress as a _ballerina_ , especially if her outfit matched Otis the Giant's.

"No!" Ephialtes snapped and the purple-haired giant faced Percy. He grinned so painfully, he looked like he was being electrocuted. "Please excuse my brother," he said. "His stage presence is awful, and he has _no_ sense of style."

"Okay." Percy decided not to comment on the Hawaiian shirt. "Now, about our friend…"

"Oh, him," Ephialtes sneered. "We were going to let him finish dying in public, but he has no entertainment value. He's spent _days_ curled up sleeping. What sort of spectacle is that? Otis, tip over the jar."

Otis trudged over to the dais, stopping occasionally to do a plié. He knocked over the jar, the lid popped off, and Nico di Angelo spilled out. The sight of his deathly pale face and too-skinny frame made Riss cry out, "Nico!" It wasn't clear if he was alive or dead and Ephialtes stood in their way of checking.

"Now we have to hurry," said the Big F. "We should go through your stage directions. The hypogeum is all set!"

Riss was about ten seconds away from charging to get the son of Hades but Otis was standing over Nico. If a battle started, Nico was in no condition to defend himself and with Riss' temperamental new powers—which she _still_ didn't understand—she had no advantage over the giants.

Jason raised his gold _gladius_. "We're not going to be part of any show," he said. "And what's a hypo—whatever-you-call-it?"

"Hypogeum!" Ephialtes said. "You're a Roman demigod, aren't you? You should know! Ah, but I suppose if we do our job right down here in the underworks, you really wouldn't know the hypogeum exists."

"I know that word," Piper said. "It's the area under a coliseum. It housed all the set pieces and machinery used to create special effects."

Ephialtes clapped enthusiastically. "Exactly so! Are you a student of the theater, my girl?"

"Uh…my dad's an actor."

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes turned toward his brother. "Did you hear that, Otis?"

"Actor," Otis murmured. "Everybody's an actor. No one can dance."

"Be nice!" Ephialtes scolded. "At any rate, my girl, you're absolutely right, but _this_ hypogeum is much more than the stage-works for a coliseum. You've heard that in the old days some giants were imprisoned under the earth, and from time to time they would cause earthquakes when they tried to break free? Well, we've done much better! Otis and I have been imprisoned under Rome for eons, but we've kept busy building our very own hypogeum. Now we're ready to create the greatest spectacle Rome has ever seen—and the last!"

Most of the giant's speech went over Riss' head as her attention was solely focused on Nico. He had begun to shudder and Riss couldn't stop the sigh of relief that escaped her lips. She didn't care what happened, just that Nico, who was one of her closest friends and like a brother to her, was alive.

At least Nico was alive. Now they just had to defeat the giants, preferably without destroying the city of Rome, and get out of here to find their friends.

"So!" Percy said, hoping to keep the giants' attention on him. "Stage directions, you said?"

"Yes!" Ephialtes said. "Now, I _know_ the bounty stipulates that you and the girl Annabeth should be kept alive if possible, but honestly, the girl is already doomed, so I hope you don't mind if we deviate from the plan."

Percy's mouth tasted like bad nymph water. "Already doomed. You don't mean she's—"

"Dead?" the giant asked. "No. Not yet. But don't worry! We've got your other friends locked up, you see."

Piper made a strangled sound. "Leo? Hazel and Frank?"

"Those are the ones," Ephialtes agreed. "So we can use _them_ for the sacrifice. We can let the Athena girl die, which will please Her Ladyship. And we can use you three for the show! Gaea will be a bit disappointed, but really, this is a win-win. Your deaths will be _much_ more entertaining."

Jason snarled. "You want entertaining? I'll give you entertaining."

"We _all_ will," Riss glared heatedly, Nauticus appearing in her grip. Her eyes shone menacingly in the light. "You _won't_ kill any of us."

Piper stepped forward. Somehow she managed a sweet smile, trying to be placating. "I've got a better idea," she told the giants. "Why don't you let us go? That would be an incredible twist. Wonderful entertainment value, and it would prove to the world how cool you are."

Nico stirred. Otis looked down at him. His snaky feet flicked their tongues at Nico's head.

"Plus!" Piper said quickly. "Plus, we could do some dance moves as we're escaping. Perhaps a ballet number!"

"We have an even number of girls and boys here," Riss added, "A duet!"

Otis forgot all about Nico. He lumbered over and wagged his finger at Ephialtes. "You see? That's what I was telling you! It would be incredible!"

For a second, it seemed as though Piper was going to pull it off. Otis looked at his brother imploringly. Ephialtes tugged at his chin as if considering the idea.

At last he shook his head. "No…no, I'm afraid not. You see, my girl, I am the anti-Dionysus. I have a reputation to uphold. Dionysus thinks he knows parties? He's wrong! His revels are tame compared to what I can do. That old stunt we pulled, for instance, when we piled up mountains to reach Olympus—"

"I told you that would never work," Otis muttered.

"And the time my brother covered himself with meat and ran through an obstacle course of drakons—"

"You said Hephaestus-TV would show it during prime time," Otis said. "No one even _saw_ me."

"I'm sure it's better that they didn't," Riss tried to say helpfully.

"Well, this spectacle will be _even better_ ," Ephialtes promised. "The Romans always wanted bread and circuses— food and entertainment! As we destroy their city, I will offer them both. Behold, a sample!"

Something dropped from the ceiling and landed at Percy's feet: a loaf of sandwich bread in a white plastic wrapper with red and yellow dots.

Percy picked it up. "Wonder bread?"

"How…interesting," Riss glanced at it, trying to sound nice.

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Ephialtes' eyes danced with crazy excitement. "You can keep that loaf. I plan on distributing millions to the people of Rome as I obliterate them."

"Wonder bread is good," Otis admitted. "Though the Romans should dance for it."

Percy glanced over at Nico, who was just starting to move. Percy wanted him to be at least conscious enough to crawl out of the way when the fighting started. And Percy needed more information from the giants about Annabeth, and where his other friends were being kept.

"Maybe," Percy ventured, "you should bring our other friends here. You know, spectacular deaths…"

"…the more the merrier, right?" Riss offered tentatively. "They can, uh…cheer for us until it's their turn."

"Hmm." Ephialtes fiddled with a button on his Hawaiian shirt. "No. It's really too late to change the choreography. But never fear. The circuses will be marvelous! Ah…not the _modern_ sort of circus, mind you. That would require clowns, and I hate clowns."

"Everyone hates clowns," Otis said. "Even other clowns hate clowns."

Riss glanced at her friends, "That's actually the one thing they've said that actually made even a _tiny_ bit of sense."

"Exactly," his brother agreed. "But we have much better entertainment planned! The three of you will die in agony, up above, where all the gods and mortals can watch. But that's just the opening ceremony! In the old days, games went on for days or weeks. Our spectacle—the destruction of Rome—will go on for one full month until Gaea awakens."

"Wait," Jason said. "One month, and Gaea wakes up?"

"One month until the Underworld on Earth?"

Ephialtes waved away the questions. "Yes, yes. Something about August First being the best date to destroy all humanity. Not important! In her infinite wisdom, the Earth Mother has agreed that Rome can be destroyed first, slowly and spectacularly. It's only fitting!"

"So…" Percy couldn't believe he was talking about the end of the world with a loaf of Wonder bread in his hand. "You're Gaea's warm-up act."

Ephialtes' face darkened. "This is no warm-up, demigod! We'll release wild animals and monsters into the streets. Our special effects department will produce fires and earthquakes. Sinkholes and volcanoes will appear randomly out of nowhere! Ghosts will run rampant."

"The ghost thing won't work," Otis said. "Our focus groups say it won't pull ratings."

"They should do some _pottery_ too." Riss wrinkled her nose as Piper rolled her eyes at the reference, "Ratings and all."

"Doubters!" Ephialtes said. "This hypogeum can make anything work!" Ephialtes stormed over to a big table covered with a sheet. He pulled the sheet away, revealing a collection of levers and knobs almost as complicated-looking as Leo's control panel on the _Argo II_.

"This button?" Ephialtes said. "This one will eject a dozen rabid wolves into the Forum. And this one will summon automaton gladiators to battle tourists at the Trevi Fountain. This one will cause the Tiber to flood its banks so we can reenact a naval battle right in the Piazza Navona! Riss and Percy Jackson, you should appreciate that, as children of Poseidon!"

"Uh…I still think the _letting us go_ idea is better," Percy said.

"He's right," Piper tried again. "Otherwise we get into this whole confrontation thing. We fight you. You fight us. We wreck your plans. You know, we've defeated a lot of giants lately."

Riss nodded in mock-seriousness, "I'd hate to _accidently_ kill one of you while I'm sword dancing."

Ephialtes nodded thoughtfully. "You're right."

Piper blinked. "I am?"

"We can't let things get out of control," the giant agreed. "Everything has to be timed perfectly. But don't worry. I've choreographed your deaths. You'll _love_ it."

Nico started to crawl away, groaning. Percy looked ready to pitch his Wonder bread at him and Riss almost took off running to the boy. Jason caught her elbow gently and tucked her into his side.

Jason switched his sword hand. "And if we refuse to cooperate with your spectacle?"

"Well, you can't kill us." Ephialtes laughed, as if the idea was ridiculous. "You have no gods with you, and that's the only way you could hope to triumph. So really, it would be much more sensible to die painfully. Sorry, but the show must go on."

Ephialtes wasn't so much the anti-Dionysus. He was Dionysus gone crazy on steroids. Sure, Dionysus was the god of revelry and out-of-control parties. But Ephialtes was all about riot and ruin for pleasure.

Percy looked at his friends. "I'm getting tired of this guy's shirt."

"Combat time?" Piper grabbed her horn of plenty.

"I hate Wonder bread," Jason said.

Riss shrugged, "I hate giants more."

Together, they charged.

 **XXXXX**

Things went wrong immediately.

The giants vanished in twin puffs of smoke. They reappeared halfway across the room, each in a different spot. Percy sprinted toward Ephialtes, but slots in the floor opened under his feet, and metal walls shot up on either side, separating him from his friends.

The walls started closing in on him like the sides of a vise grip. Percy jumped up and grabbed the bottom of the hydra's cage. He caught a brief glimpse of Piper leaping across a hopscotch pattern of fiery pits, making her way toward Nico, who was dazed and weaponless and being stalked by a pair of leopards.

Meanwhile Jason charged at Otis, who pulled his spear and heaved a great sigh, as if he would much rather dance _Swan Lake_ than kill another demigod. Percy registered all this in a split second, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

Riss was raising Nauticus against the leopards stalking Nico, her blade shooting out and catching one of the big cats across the face as Piper carefully pulled Nico out of harm's reach. The leopard advanced slowly, bright eyes watching the daughter of Poseidon hungrily.

"Wonderful!" Ephialtes cried. He stood at his control panel about sixty feet to Percy's left. "We'll consider this a dress rehearsal. Shall I unleash the hydra onto the Spanish Steps now?"

One second of distraction, Ephialtes' words, made Riss glance to the side. Three things happened at once.

One: the hydra in the cage was slowly rising to the hatch in the ceiling.

Two: Riss swore viciously in Latin.

And three: the two leopards pounced.

 **XXXXX**

"He did _what_?" Poseidon demanded, his entire underwater palace shaking with the power of his rage. Hera had decided that telling the father of the Jackson girl was a good idea, although now, she was sorely regretting the decision. "My own brother thought it best to arrange my only demigod daughter's death?"

"Not death!" Hera corrected quickly. "She will _not_ die!"

Poseidon scoffed, "Oh, will your own force of will undo a promise with the Styx, sister? Not death, no, but breaking this promise or even allow it to go through…" The sea god lowered his gaze to his lap, "It's _worse_ than death."

"What is?" He refused to look at his son, who swam in the doorway, his twin tails swishing. Triton noticed how neither his father nor aunt looked at him. "Father, what are you not telling me?"

"Son…you may want to sit down…"

 **XXXXX**

* * *

 **Okay, it's been awhile, I know. But I have a few chapters pre-written, so the next update shouldn't take too long. During _Mediterranean_ is a type of growth period for Riss and this story is going to have a rather abrupt ending, I just want to warn you. I also want to thank all of you wonderful readers for sticking with this story, despite me being MIA!**

 **AT LEAST FIVE REVIEWS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER PLEASE!**

 **~ Raven**


	14. XI

_**XI | GIANTS AND GODS LIKE BIG, ELABORATE AND STRANGELY POSITIVE DEATH SPECTACLES**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

* * *

 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _yasminasfeir1_ , ****_LuckyGo_ , _Agazeamongstthestars_ , ****_NicoleR85_** **, _Rosy Fire_ , _DreamHunterVo_ , _Unknown, Guest (1)_ ****AND _Guest (2)_** ** _._ THANKS FOR REVIEWING!**

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 **DreamHunterVo:** I am back and here to stay! Yes, I know, I'm screwing with your mind but you'll find out soon as to what Triton now knows. Riss made a very bad deal, I can reveal that much but it will be a focal point in the next book!

 **Rosy Fire:** Does it make me a bad person if I love how Riss' deal is getting to everyone? Don't stress, you'll find out what it is soon ;)

 **Guest (who pointed out a problem in the last chapter):** Thank you for pointing out the mistake in the last chapter. Somewhat disappointing note: I'm too lazy to change it. I'm really glad you like this story though, enjoy the chapter!

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No one in their right mind liked boomerangs.

Unless you counted Sokka from _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ but that was another thing altogether.

Riss especially did not like the way that Riptide spun through the air and severed the chain suspending the hydra. The cage tumbled to the side and the hydra spilled out, like a full garbage can of rotten food, right in front of Percy.

"Oh, you _are_ a spoilsport, Jackson!" Ephialtes called. "Very well. Battle it here, if you must, but your death won't be nearly as good without the cheering crowds."

Percy stepped forward to confront the monster—then realized he'd just thrown his weapon away. A bit of bad planning on his part.

Riss seemed to be thinking along the same lines as she, rather heroically in Piper's opinion, looked down at Nico, muttered, 'don't die,' and jumped forward. She sailed through the air for a moment and her sword dug deep into the hydra's back as she landed.

Percy rolled out of the way, just missing the pained explosion of acid spit that flew at him, which melted the stone where he had just been standing. He shot and appreciative look at his sister, who missed it, as Riss was currently trying to hold onto the hydra which had decided to become a bronco.

"Stop supporting me and find something to _help_ me with!" Riss finally yelled, Nauticus tearing down the hydra back as it shook her off.

Percy ducked behind a giant hamster wheel and scanned the room, looking for the boxes he'd seen in his dream. He remembered something about rocket launchers.

At the dais, Piper stood guard over Nico as the leopards advanced. She aimed her cornucopia and shot a pot roast over the cats' heads. It must have smelled pretty good, because the leopards raced after it.

About eighty feet to Piper's right, Jason battled Otis, sword against spear. Otis had lost his diamond tiara and looked angry about it. He probably could have impaled Jason several times, but the giant insisted on doing a pirouette with every attack, which slowed him down.

Meanwhile Ephialtes laughed as he pushed buttons on his control board, cranking the conveyor belts into high gear and opening random animal cages.

Riss dashed forward, sliding behind the hamster wheel and almost knocking Percy over as acid burnt through a box that she had just been standing in front of. "Well?"

"I have Wonder bread and half an idea," Percy offered, holding up the packet of bread.

"I'll take the Wonder bread and offer the _other_ half of the idea." Riss snatched the Wonder bread. "Now, when I throw this, you run over there. To the happy death device. Okay?"

Percy followed where Riss was pointing, spying a bazooka, a grenade launcher, a giant Roman candle, and a dozen other wicked-looking weapons. They all seemed to be wired together, pointing in the same direction and connected to a single bronze lever on the side. At the top of the easel, spelled in carnations, were the words: HAPPY DESTRUCTION, ROME!

"Got it," Percy responded and watched as his sister pitched the Wonder bread at the monster. The hydra spit acid, which was a mistake. The bag and wrappers dissolved in midair. The Wonder bread absorbed the acid like fire extinguisher foam and splattered against the hydra, covering it in a sticky, steaming layer of high-calorie poisonous goo. Both Jacksons dashed over to the 'happy death device' as Percy puffed and complimented, "Nice throw."

"Thanks, Grover helped me get better." Vaguely, Riss gestured behind them, "We should speed up, there's a hydra chasing us."

"Okay."

"I know!" Ephialtes cried out happily, seemingly unaware of where Percy and Riss were heading. "We can start with explosions along the Via Labicana! We can't keep our audience waiting forever."

Percy scrambled behind the easel and turned it toward Ephialtes. He didn't have Leo's skill with machines, but he knew how to aim a weapon.

The hydra barreled toward him, blocking his view of the giant. Percy hoped this contraption would have enough firepower to take down two targets at once. He tugged at the lever. It didn't budge.

All eight hydra heads loomed over them, ready to melt them into a pool of sludge. Riss huffed and moved to kick the lever with a little more force. This time the easel shook and the weapons began to hiss.

"Duck and cover!" Riss yelled, hoping her friends got the message and shoved Percy to the side and jumped after him.

The easel fired. The sound was like a fiesta in the middle of an exploding gunpowder factory. The hydra vaporized instantly. Unfortunately, the recoil knocked the easel sideways and sent more projectiles shooting all over the room. A chunk of ceiling collapsed and crushed a waterwheel. More cages snapped off their chains, unleashing two zebras and a pack of hyenas. A grenade exploded over Ephialtes' head, but it only blasted him off his feet. The control board didn't even look damaged.

Across the room, sandbags rained down around Piper and Nico. Piper tried to pull Nico to safety, but one of the bags caught her shoulder and knocked her down.

"Piper!" Jason cried. He ran toward her, completely forgetting about Otis, who aimed his spear at Jason's back.

"Look out!" Percy yelled.

Jason had fast reflexes. As Otis threw, Jason rolled. The point sailed over him and Jason flicked his hand, summoning a gust of wind that changed the spear's direction. It flew across the room and skewered Ephialtes through his side just as he was getting to his feet.

"Otis!" Ephialtes stumbled away from his control board, clutching the spear as he began to crumble into monster dust. "Will you _please_ stop killing me!?"

"Not my fault!"

Riss furrowed her brow, "Why don't we have any really passive aggressive fights like that?"

Percy shrugged, "Neither of us can be killed and come back to life?"

Otis had barely finished speaking when Percy's missile-launching contraption spit out one last sphere of Roman candle fire. The fiery pink ball of death (naturally it had to be pink, which Riss stuck her tongue out at) hit the ceiling above Otis and exploded in a beautiful shower of light. Colorful sparks pirouetted gracefully around the giant. Then a ten-foot section of roof collapsed and crushed him flat.

Jason ran to Piper's side. She yelped when he touched her arm. Her shoulder looked unnaturally bent, but she muttered, "Fine. I'm fine." Next to her, Nico sat up, looking around him in bewilderment as if just realizing he'd missed a battle.

Sadly, the giants weren't finished. Ephialtes was already re-forming, his head and shoulders rising from the mound of dust. He tugged his arms free and glowered at Percy and Riss.

Across the room, the pile of rubble shifted, and Otis busted out. His head was slightly caved in. All the firecrackers in his hair had popped, and his braids were smoking. His leotard was in tatters, which was just about the only way it could've looked _less_ attractive on him.

"Percy! Neri!" Jason shouted. "The controls!"

Riss gave her brother a 'you take this one' look and Percy unfroze. He found Riptide in his pocket again, uncapped his sword, and lunged for the switchboard. He slashed his blade across the top, decapitating the controls in a shower of bronze sparks.

"No!" Ephialtes wailed. "You've ruined the spectacle!"

Percy turned too slowly. Ephialtes swung his spear like a bat and smacked him across the chest. He fell to his knees, the pain turning his stomach to lava but the giant wasn't given long to gloat—he found himself flying across the room and collapsing to dust again as he impaled himself on the remains of the hydra's cage.

The Jackson boy, with blurry eyes, glanced around the room—he was in a lot of pain but Ephialtes flying across the room was _not_ normal—and met Riss' wide, terrified eyes. Her hand was outstretched, towards Percy and the giant, and from where Percy was, he could see the smallest collection of gold below Riss' nose. Her hand hovered for a moment before it fell to her side and she was crumpling to her knees.

Jason ran to Percy's side but Otis lumbered after him. Percy managed to rise and found himself shoulder to shoulder with Jason. Over by the dais, Piper was still on the floor, unable to get up. Nico was barely conscious. Riss was shaking and blood—or oddly, the gold liquid—was dripping from her nose onto the marble floor.

The giants were healing, getting stronger by the minute. Percy was not.

Ephialtes smiled apologetically. "Tired, Percy Jackson? As I said, you cannot kill us. So I guess we're at an impasse. Oh, wait…no we're not! Because we can kill you!"

"That," Otis grumbled, picking up his fallen spear, "is the first thing sensible thing you've said all day, brother."

The giants pointed their weapons, ready to turn Percy and Jason into a demigod-kabob.

"We won't give up," Jason growled. "We'll cut you into pieces like Jupiter did to Saturn."

"That's right," Percy said. "You're both dead. I don't care if we have a god on our side or not."

"Well, that's a shame," said a new voice.

To Percy's right, another platform lowered from the ceiling. Leaning casually on a pinecone-topped staff was a man in a purple camp shirt, khaki shorts, and sandals with white socks. He raised his broad-brimmed hat, and purple fire flickered in his eyes. "I'd hate to think I made a special trip for nothing."

Even though her voice was strangled, Riss' voice was loud enough for Percy to hear. "I _hate_ you."

 **XXXXX**

Percy had never thought of Mr D as a calming influence, but suddenly everything got quiet. The machines ground to a halt. The wild animals stopped growling.

The two leopards paced over—still licking their lips from Piper's pot roast—and butted their heads affectionately against the god's legs. Mr D scratched their ears and Riss gagged, sticking out her tongue in annoyance.

"Really, Ephialtes," he chided. "Killing demigods is one thing. But using leopards for your spectacle? That's over the line."

The giant made a squeaking sound. "This—this is impossible. D-D—"

"It's Bacchus, actually, my old friend," said the god. "And of course it's possible. Someone told me there was a party going on."

Riss struggled to her feet, swiping her nose on the back of her hand. "Almost missed it too. What took you so long?"

"I had another party to go to, little goddess," Bacchus said flippantly, waving his hand at the Jackson girl. "But I'm here now."

He looked the same as he had in Kansas but Percy still couldn't get over the differences between Bacchus and his old not-so-much-of-a-friend Mr D. Bacchus was meaner and leaner, with less of a potbelly. He had longer hair, more spring in his step, and a lot more anger in his eyes. He even managed to make a pinecone on a stick look intimidating.

Ephialtes' spear quivered. "You—you gods are doomed! Be gone, in the name of Gaea!"

"Hmm." Bacchus sounded unimpressed. He strolled through the ruined props, platforms, and special effects.

"Tacky." He waved his hand at a painted wooden gladiator, then turned to a machine that looked like an oversized rolling pin studded with knives. "Cheap. Boring. And this…" He inspected the rocket-launching contraption, which was still smoking. "Tacky, cheap, _and_ boring. Honestly, Ephialtes. You have no sense of style."

"STYLE?" The giant's face flushed. "I have _mountains_ of style. I _define_ style. I—I—"

"My brother _oozes_ style," Otis suggested.

"Thank you!" Ephialtes cried.

Bacchus stepped forward, and the giants stumbled back. "Have you two gotten shorter?" asked the god.

"Oh, that's low," Ephialtes growled. "I'm quite tall enough to destroy you, Bacchus! You gods, always hiding behind your mortal heroes, trusting the fate of Olympus to the likes of _these_."

He sneered at Percy. Riss raised her middle fingers.

Jason hefted his sword. "Lord Bacchus, are we going to kill these giants or what?"

"Well, I certainly hope so," Bacchus said. "Please, carry on."

Percy stared at him. "Didn't you come here to help?"

Bacchus shrugged. "Oh, I appreciated the sacrifice at sea. A whole ship full of Diet Coke. Very nice. Although I would've preferred Diet Pepsi."

"Of course, you would've. Anything else, Highness?"

"And six million in gold and jewels," Percy muttered.

"Yes," Bacchus said, "although with demigod parties of five or more the gratuity is included, so that wasn't necessary."

"What?"

"Never mind," Bacchus said. "At any rate, you got my attention. I'm here. Now I need to see if you're worthy of my help. Go ahead. Battle. If I'm impressed, I'll jump in for the grand finale."

"We speared one," Percy said. "Dropped the roof on the other."

"And that was after we tried to blow them _both_ up," Riss added, deadpanned. "What do you consider _impressive_?"

"Ah, a good question…" Bacchus tapped his thyrsus. Then he smiled in a way that made Percy think, _uh oh_. "Perhaps you need inspiration! The stage hasn't been properly set. You call this a spectacle, Ephialtes? Let me show you how it's done."

The god dissolved into purple mist. Piper and Nico disappeared.

"Nico! Pipes!" Riss yelled, terror on her face. "Bacchus, where the _Underworld_ did you—?"

The entire floor rumbled and began to rise. The ceiling opened in a series of panels. Sunlight poured in. The air shimmered like a mirage, and Percy heard the roar of a crowd above him.

The hypogeum ascended through a forest of weathered stone columns, into the middle of a ruined coliseum.

Riss made a small, squeaky noise in the back of her throat and stepped up between Percy and Jason. This wasn't just any coliseum. It was _the_ Colosseum. The giants' special effects machines had gone into overtime, laying planks across ruined support beams so the arena had a proper floor again. The bleachers repaired themselves until they were gleaming white. A giant red-and-gold canopy extended overhead to provide shade from the afternoon sun. The emperor's box was draped with silk, flanked by banners and golden eagles. The roar of applause came from thousands of shimmering purple ghosts, the Lares of Rome brought back for an encore performance.

Vents opened in the floor and sprayed sand across the arena. Huge props sprang up—garage-size mountains of plaster, stone columns, and (for some reason) life-size plastic barnyard animals. A small lake appeared to one side. Ditches crisscrossed the arena floor in case anyone was in the mood for trench warfare. Percy, Riss and Jason stood together facing the twin giants.

"This is a proper show!" boomed the voice of Bacchus. He sat in the emperor's box wearing purple robes and golden laurels. At his left sat Nico and Piper, her shoulder being tended by a nymph in a nurse's uniform. At Bacchus's right crouched a satyr, offering up Doritos and grapes. The god raised a can of Diet Pepsi and the crowd went respectfully quiet.

Percy glared up at him. "You're just going to sit there?"

"The demigod is right!" Ephialtes bellowed. "Fight us yourself, coward! Um, without the demigods."

Bacchus smiled lazily. "Juno says she's assembled a worthy crew of demigods. Show me. Entertain me, heroes of Olympus. Give me a reason to do more. Being a god has its privileges."

He popped his soda can top, and the crowd cheered.

" _Gods_ , I _hate_ you!"

 **XXXXX**

Percy had fought many battles. He'd even fought in a couple of arenas, but nothing like this. In the huge Colosseum, with thousands of cheering ghosts, the god Bacchus staring down at him, and the two twelve-foot giants looming over him, Percy felt as small and insignificant as a bug. He also felt _very_ angry.

Fighting giants was one thing. Bacchus making it into a game was something else.

Percy remembered what Luke Castellan had told him years ago, when Percy had come back from his very first quest: _Didn't you realize how useless it all is? All the heroics—being pawns of the Olympians?_

Percy and Riss were almost the same age now as Luke had been then. He could understand how Luke became so spiteful. In the past five years, Percy had been a pawn too many times and Riss had been used as a weapon one too many times. The Olympians seemed to take turns using them for their schemes. He could feel it in his gut that what was happening to Riss was because of them—she had turned down immortality immediately after Percy and the gods had taken that well.

Maybe the gods were better than the Titans, or the giants, or Gaea, but that didn't make them good or wise. It didn't make Percy like this stupid arena battle and it sure as Hades didn't make Percy like having to watch Riss cry herself to sleep after her friends and allies died, one after the other, over and over again.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much choice. If he was going to save his friends, he had to beat these giants. He had to survive, find Annabeth and protect his sister.

"Head in the game, Jase." Percy's head snapped up at Riss' voice. She was gently fixing Jason's jacket, a fond smile on her face that was mirrored on his. Jason reached up a hand, gently trailing his fingers over Riss' face. "I adore you."

Jason smiled lovingly as Riss' thumb sat over the scar on his lip. It hadn't been the right time to say the actual three words and neither of them wanted to say the words just because they were about to die. "I adore you too."

Ephialtes and Otis, bless their ugly, giant hearts, had allowed the couple to have a moment before attacking. Together, the giants picked up a fake mountain as big as Percy's New York apartment and hurled it at the demigods.

The trio bolted. They dove together into the nearest trench and the mountain shattered above them, spraying them with plaster shrapnel. It wasn't deadly, but it stung like crazy.

The crowd jeered and shouted for blood. " _Fight_! _Fight_!"

"I'll take Otis again?" Jason called over the noise. "Or do you want him this time?"

Dividing was the natural course—fighting the giants one-on-one, but that hadn't worked so well last time. It dawned on him that they needed a different strategy.

This whole trip, Percy had felt responsible for leading and protecting his friends. He was sure Jason felt the same way. They'd worked in small groups, hoping that would be safer. They'd fought as individuals, each demigod doing what he or she did best. But Hera had made them a team of seven for a reason. The few times Percy and Jason had worked together—summoning the storm at Fort Sumter , helping the _Argo II_ escape the Pillars of Hercules, even filling the nymphaeum—Percy had felt more confident, better able to figure out problems, as if he'd been a Cyclops his whole life and suddenly woke up with two eyes.

"Tyson wouldn't be happy with that analogy," Riss teased and Percy realized he'd mentioned his last thought aloud. That, or his sister had gained the ability to read his mind. "Together then?"

"Otis first, because he's weaker," Percy nodded. "Take him out quickly and move to Ephialtes. Bronze and gold together—maybe that'll keep them from re-forming a little longer."

Jason smiled dryly, like he'd just found out he would die in an embarrassing way.

"Why not?" he agreed. "But Ephialtes isn't going to stand there and wait while we kill his brother. Unless—"

"Good wind today," Percy offered. "And there're some water pipes running under the arena."

Jason understood immediately. He laughed, and Percy felt a spark of friendship. This guy thought the same way he did about a lot of things—that and Percy had to either like him or hate him. Jason was Percy's twin sister's boyfriend after all.

"And what do I do?" Riss raised her brows, "Be your cheerleader?"

Percy cracked a grin, "I want you to try the force thing you did." Jason frowned in confusion but Riss pursed her lips at Percy. He raised his hands in surrender, "That or the water with me."

"Okay."

"On three?" Jason said.

"Why wait?"

They charged out of the trench. As Percy suspected, the twins had lifted another plaster mountain and were waiting for a clear shot. The giants raised it above their heads, preparing to throw, and Percy caused a water pipe to burst at their feet, shaking the floor. Jason sent a blast of wind against Ephialtes' chest. The purple-haired giant toppled backward and Otis lost his grip on the mountain, which promptly collapsed on top of his brother. Only Ephialtes' snake feet stuck out, darting their heads around, as if wondering where the rest of their body had gone.

The crowd roared with approval, but Percy suspected Ephialtes was only stunned. They had a few seconds at best.

"Hey, Otis!" he shouted. " _The Nutcracker_ bites!"

"Ahhhhh!" Otis snatched up his spear and threw, but he was too angry to aim straight. Jason deflected it over Percy's head and into the lake.

The demigods backed toward the water, shouting insults about ballet—which was kind of a challenge, as Percy didn't know much about it. Riss took over for Percy, having been dragged along to countless ballet recitals by their mother, until Sally had figured out her daughter was better at throwing punches than doing pirouettes.

Otis barreled toward them empty-handed, before apparently realizing that a) he was empty-handed, and b) charging toward a large body of water to fight a son and daughter of Poseidon was maybe not a good idea.

Riss smiled serenely as it dawned on Otis, " _Oops_."

 **XXXXX**

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 **We are nearly reaching the end. I am already in mourning.** **But, insert crazed laugh here, because Riss has made a deal and everyone is worried about it.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

 **~ Raven**


	15. OMICRON

_**OMICRON | THE OTIS PROTEIN SHAKE: GROSSEST ON THE MARKET**_

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _Brozekey3215_ , _Unknown_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **, _One Smart Waffle_** **AND _Cari_** ** _._** **THANKS FOR REVIEWING, IT MEANS SO MUCH TO ME THAT YOU'RE SUPPORTING THIS STORY!**

* * *

Too late, Otis tried to stop.

The demigods rolled to either side, and Jason summoned the wind, using the giant's own momentum to shove him into the water. As Otis struggled to rise, Percy and Jason attacked as one. They launched themselves at the giant and brought their blades down on Otis' head.

The poor guy didn't even have a chance to pirouette. He exploded into powder on the lake's surface like a huge packet of drink mix.

"That is _so_ gross," Riss commented and twirled her finger in the air. The lake churned like a whirlpool, tugging Otis' essence apart. "Like a protein mix…made of giant dust."

Otis' essence tried to re-form, but as his head appeared from the water, Jason called lightning and blasted him to dust again.

So far so good, but they couldn't keep Otis down forever. Percy was already tired from his fight underground. His gut still ached from getting smacked with a spear shaft. He could feel his strength waning, and they still had another giant to deal with.

As if on cue, the plaster mountain exploded behind them. Ephialtes rose, bellowing with anger. Percy and Jason waited as he lumbered toward them, his spear in hand. Apparently, getting flattened under a plaster mountain had only energized him. His eyes danced with murderous light. The afternoon sun glinted in his coin-braided hair. Even his snake feet looked angry, baring their fangs and hissing.

Jason called down another lightning strike, but Ephialtes caught it on his spear and deflected the blast, melting a life-size plastic cow. He slammed a stone column out of his way like a stack of building blocks.

Riss kept the lake churning, knowing that Percy's whole attention was better focused on Ephialtes. Jason and Percy met the giant's charge. They lunged around Ephialtes, stabbing and slashing in a blur of gold and bronze but the giant parried every strike.

"I will not yield!" Ephialtes roared. "You may have ruined my spectacle, but Gaea will still destroy your world!"

Percy lashed out, slicing the giant's spear in half. Ephialtes wasn't even fazed. The giant swept low with the blunt end and knocked Percy off his feet. Percy landed hard on his sword arm, and Riptide clattered out of his grip. Jason tried to take advantage. He stepped inside the giant's guard and stabbed at his chest, but somehow Ephialtes parried the strike. He sliced the tip of his spear down Jason's chest, ripping his purple shirt into a vest. Jason stumbled, looking at the thin line of blood down his sternum. Riss couldn't say that she was overly angry about that one until Ephialtes kicked him backward.

Bacchus looked on with an amused smile, munching from a bag of Doritos.

Ephialtes towered over Percy and Jason, both halves of his broken spear poised over their heads. Percy's sword arm was numb. Jason's _gladius_ had skittered across the arena floor. Their plan had failed.

Percy glanced up at Bacchus, deciding what final curse he would hurl at the useless wine god, when he saw a shape in the sky above the Colosseum—a large dark oval descending rapidly.

From the lake, Otis yelled, trying to warn his brother, but his half-dissolved face could only manage: "Uh-umhmoooo!"

"Don't worry, brother!" Ephialtes said, his eyes still fixed on the demigods. "I will make them suffer!"

The _Argo II_ turned in the sky, presenting its port side, and green fire blazed from the ballista. Riss almost sobbed in relief.

"Actually," Percy said. "Look behind you."

He and Jason rolled away as Ephialtes turned and bellowed in disbelief. Percy dropped into a trench just as the explosion rocked the Colosseum. When he climbed out again, the _Argo II_ was coming in for a landing. Jason poked his head out from behind his improvised bomb shelter of a plastic horse. Ephialtes lay charred and groaning on the arena floor, the sand around him seared into a halo of glass by the heat of the Greek fire.

Otis was floundering in the lake, trying to re-form, but from the arms down he looked like a puddle of burnt oatmeal. Riss made the swirling motion again and the giant was dragged back into the depths of the lake. The Jackson girl even outstretched her hands, making a shoving motion and let out a laugh of surprise as a large mountain prop moved with her hands and squished Ephialtes again.

Percy staggered over to Jason and clapped him on the shoulder. Riss skipped—actually _skipped_ —over to the pair and was tugged into a hug by her boyfriend. Wordlessly, Percy gestured to his nose and Riss swiped at her. Golden blood trickled down her fingers and she met Percy's worried gaze with a blank look.

The ghostly crowd gave them a standing ovation as the _Argo II_ extended its landing gear and settled on the arena floor. Leo stood at the helm, Hazel and Frank grinning at his side. Coach Hedge danced around the firing platform, pumping his fist in the air and yelling, "That's what I'm talking about!"

Percy turned to the emperor's box. "Well?" he yelled at Bacchus. "Was that entertaining enough for you, you wine-breathed little—?"

"No need for that." Suddenly the god was standing right next to him in the arena. He brushed Dorito dust off his purple robes. "I have decided you are worthy partners for this combat."

Riss' eye twitched. " _Partners_. You lazy piece of immortal—!" Jason hand slapped down over her mouth and Riss only managed to continue muffling a list of expletives at the god.

Bacchus walked to the edge of the lake. The water instantly drained, leaving an Otis-headed pile of mush. Bacchus picked his way to the bottom and looked up at the crowd. He raised his thyrsus.

The crowd jeered and hollered and pointed their thumbs down. Percy had never been sure whether that meant _live_ or _die_. He'd heard it both ways.

Bacchus chose the more entertaining option. He smacked Otis's head with his pinecone staff, and the giant pile of Otis-meal disintegrated completely.

The crowd went wild. Bacchus climbed out of the lake and strutted over to the prop mountain. It moved out of the way at a flick of Bacchus' wrist, revealing Ephialtes, who was still lying spread-eagled, overcooked and smoking. Again, Bacchus raised his thyrsus.

"DO IT!" the crowd roared.

"DON'T DO IT!" Ephialtes wailed.

Riss looked a tiny bit deranged as she stood off to the side, quietly chanting and jumping on the balls of her feet, "Do it. Do it. Do it!"

Bacchus tapped the giant on the nose, and Ephialtes crumbled to ashes. The ghosts cheered and threw spectral confetti as Bacchus strode around the stadium with his arms raised triumphantly, exulting in the worship. He grinned at the demigods. " _That_ , my friends, is a show! And of _course_ I did something. I killed two giants!"

Jason chose the safe option and kept his hold over Riss' mouth, who looked ready to kill Bacchus.

As Percy's friends disembarked from the ship, the crowd of ghosts shimmered and disappeared. Piper and Nico struggled down from the emperor's box as the Colosseum's magical renovations began to turn into mist. The arena floor remained solid, but otherwise the stadium looked as if it hadn't hosted a good giant killing for eons.

"Well," Bacchus said. "That was fun. You have my permission to continue your voyage."

"Your _permission_?" Percy snarled.

"Yes." Bacchus raised an eyebrow. "Although _your_ voyage may be a little harder than you expect, son of Neptune."

"Poseidon," Percy corrected him automatically. "What do you mean about _my_ voyage?"

Riss' face had drained of blood, her wide eyes locked on the god. Bacchus gestured to her, "She knows what I mean. You have had contact with my father, haven't you? _Your_ path is even more dangerous than your twin's."

Jason removed his hand from Riss' mouth and spun her to face him. "What does he mean?" Riss shook her head. "Neri…"

"You might try the parking lot behind the Emmanuel Building," Bacchus said, cutting of Jason's interrogation. "Best place to break through. Now, good-bye, my friends. And, ah, good luck with that other little matter."

The god vaporized in a cloud of mist that smelled faintly of grape juice. Riss slipped free of Jason's hands and ran to meet Piper and Nico. Jason watched his girlfriend grab Nico in a strong hug, as he wandered over to stand with them, before she pulled away and immediately began fussing over him like an overbearing older sister. Nico flapped her away but Jason could see the pleased look on his face at Riss worrying over him.

Coach Hedge trotted up to Percy, with Hazel, Frank, and Leo close behind. "Was that Dionysus?" Hedge asked. "I love that guy!"

"You're alive!" Percy said to the others. "The giants said you were captured. What happened?"

Leo shrugged. "Oh, just another brilliant plan by Leo Valdez. You'd be amazed what you can do with an Archimedes sphere, a girl who can sense stuff underground, and a weasel."

"I was the weasel," Frank said glumly.

"Basically," Leo explained, "I activated a hydraulic screw with the Archimedes device—which is going to be _awesome_ once I install it in the ship, by the way. Hazel sensed the easiest path to drill to the surface. We made a tunnel big enough for a weasel, and Frank climbed up with a simple transmitter that I slapped together. After that, it was just a matter of hacking into Coach Hedge's favorite satellite channels and telling him to bring the ship around to rescue us. After he got us, finding you was easy, thanks to that godly light show at the Colosseum."

Percy understood about ten percent of Leo's story, but he decided it was enough since he had a more pressing question. "Where's Annabeth?"

Leo winced. "Yeah, about that…she's still in trouble, we think. Hurt, broken leg, maybe—at least according to this vision Gaea shown us. Rescuing her is our next stop."

"Better be."

Two seconds before, Percy had been ready to collapse. Now another surge of adrenaline coursed through his body. He wanted to strangle Leo and demand why the _Argo II_ hadn't sailed off to rescue Annabeth first, but he thought that might sound a little ungrateful.

"Tell me about the vision," he said. "Tell me everything."

The floor shook. The wooden planks began to disappear, spilling sand into the pits of the hypogeum below.

"Let's talk on board," Hazel suggested. "We'd better take off while we still can."

 **XXXXX**

They sailed out of the Colosseum and veered south over the rooftops of Rome.

All around the Piazza del Colosseo, traffic had come to a standstill. A crowd of mortals had gathered, probably wondering about the strange lights and sounds that had come from the ruins. As far as Percy could see, none of the giants' spectacular plans for destruction had come off successfully. The city looked the same as before. No one seemed to notice the huge Greek trireme rising into the sky.

The demigods gathered around the helm. Jason bandaged Piper's sprained shoulder while Hazel and Riss sat at the stern, feeding Nico ambrosia and healing him with water. The son of Hades could barely lift his head. His voice was so quiet, they both had to lean in whenever he spoke.

Frank and Leo recounted what had happened in the room with the Archimedes spheres, and the visions Gaea had shown them in the bronze mirror. They quickly decided that their best lead for finding Annabeth was the cryptic advice Bacchus had provided: the Emmanuel Building, whatever that was. Frank started typing at the helm's computer while Leo tapped furiously at his controls, muttering, "Emmanuel Building. Emmanuel Building." Coach Hedge tried to help by wrestling with an upside-down street map of Rome.

Percy knelt next to Jason and Piper. "How's the shoulder?"

Piper smiled. "It'll heal. Both of you did great."

Jason elbowed Percy. "Not a bad team, you and me."

"Better than jousting in a Kansas cornfield," Percy agreed. He grew serious, the smile slipping off his face. "I'm, uh, I'm glad Neri found someone like you."

"I'm glad she puts up with someone like me," Jason replied, turning his head so he could see Riss. She had her legs out as she sat beside Nico, gently bumping her foot against his and making a miniscule smile flit across his face.

"There it is!" Leo cried, pointing to his monitor. "Frank, you're amazing! I'm setting course."

Frank hunched his shoulders. "I just read the name off the screen. Some Chinese tourist marked it on Google Maps."

Leo grinned at the others. "He reads Chinese."

"Just a tiny bit," Frank said.

"How cool is that?"

Riss beamed at the way Leo and Frank had bonded; from their initial icy conversations, to their now budding bromance, Riss could tell they were more willing to accept each other and got along pretty well.

"Guys," Hazel broke in. "I hate to interrupt your admiration session, but you should hear this."

She helped Nico to his feet. He'd always been pale, but now his skin looked like powdered milk. His dark sunken eyes reminded Percy of photos he'd seen of liberated prisoners-of-war, which Percy guessed Nico basically was. Nico's eyes flicked to Riss, like she was a comfort to him and he was only willing to speak if she suggested it.

Riss nodded and smiled encouragingly, wrapping her arm around the boy's waist.

"Thank you," Nico rasped. His eyes darted nervously around the group. "I'd given up hope."

The past week or so, Percy had imagined a lot of scathing things he might say to Nico when they met again, but the guy looked so frail and sad, Percy couldn't muster much anger.

"You knew about the two camps all along," Percy said. "You could have told me who I was the first day I arrived at Camp Jupiter, but you didn't."

Nico slumped and Riss immediately pulled him upright to balance against her. There wasn't a bit of anger aimed at Nico and she shot a look at Percy. "Shut up, Perce. We can have a go at him later, just let him talk now."

"Percy, I'm sorry. I discovered Camp Jupiter last year. My dad led me there, though I wasn't sure why. He told me the gods had kept the camps separate for centuries and that I couldn't tell anyone. The time wasn't right. But he said it would be important for me to know…" He doubled over in a fit of coughing.

Hazel held his shoulders, nodding in thanks at Riss who ran more water along his back.

"I—I thought Dad meant because of Hazel," Nico continued. "I'd need a safe place to take her. But now…I think he wanted me to know about both camps so I'd understand how important your quest was, and so I'd search for the Doors of Death."

The air turned electric—literally, as Jason started throwing off sparks.

"Did you find the doors?" Percy asked.

Nico nodded. "I was a fool. I thought I could go anywhere in the Underworld, but I walked right into Gaea's trap. I might as well have tried running from a black hole."

"Um…" Frank chewed his lip. "What kind of black hole are you talking about?"

Nico started to speak but whatever he needed to say must have been too terrifying. He turned to Hazel.

She put her hand on her brother's arm. "Nico told me that the Doors of Death have two sides—one in the mortal world, one in the Underworld. The _mortal_ side of the portal is in Greece. It's heavily guarded by Gaea's forces. That's where they brought Nico back into the upper world. Then they transported him to Rome."

Piper must've been nervous, because her cornucopia spit out a cheeseburger. "Where exactly in Greece is this doorway?"

Nico took a rattling breath. "The House of Hades. It's an underground temple in Epirus. I can mark it on a map, but—but the mortal side of the portal isn't the problem. In the Underworld, the Doors of Death are in…in…"

A cold pair of hands did the itsy-bitsy spider down Percy's back. Riss spluttered, having figured it out too and met her brother's eyes.

A _black hole_. An inescapable part of the Underworld where even Nico di Angelo couldn't go. Why hadn't Percy and Riss thought of this before? They'd both been to the very edge of that place. They still had nightmares about it.

"Tartarus," Percy guessed. "The deepest part of the Underworld."

"And they pulled you in," Riss finished. She pulled Nico closer, "I'm _so_ sorry, sweetie."

Nico nodded. "They pulled me into the pit, Percy, Riss. The things I saw down there…" His voice broke and Riss pressed her lips to Nico's forehead. The place her lips touched seemed to glow and a bit of color flooded into Nico's face.

Hazel pursed her lips. "No mortal has ever been to Tartarus," she explained. "At least, no one has ever gone in and returned alive. It's the maximum-security prison of Hades, where the old Titans and the other enemies of the gods are bound. It's where all monsters go when they die on the earth. It's…well, no one knows exactly what it's like."

Her eyes drifted to her brother. The rest of her thought didn't need to be spoken: _No one except Nico_.

Hazel handed him his black sword.

Nico gently removed Riss' arm from his waist and leant on his sword, like it was an old man's cane. "Now I understand why Hades hasn't been able to close the doors," he said. "Even the gods don't go into Tartarus. Even the god of death, Thanatos himself, wouldn't go near that place."

Leo glanced over from the wheel. "So let me guess. We'll have to go there."

Nico shook his head. "It's impossible. I'm the son of Hades, and even I barely survived. Gaea's forces overwhelmed me instantly. They're so powerful down there…no demigod would stand a chance. I almost went insane."

Nico's eyes looked like shattered glass. Riss wondered sadly if something inside him had broken permanently and she was trying to coddle him as unnoticeably as possible. Nico was never one to be loud and overly positive but this…this change in him made Riss feel a devastation she had never experienced. Nico had been the go-to guy for plans when times were tough—see: River Styx—but he seemed so empty and lost, like he couldn't help himself, let alone anyone else.

"Then we'll sail for Epirus," Percy said. "We'll just close the gates on this side."

"I wish it were that easy," Nico said. "The doors would have to be controlled on both sides to be closed. It's like a double seal. Maybe, just maybe, all seven of you working together could defeat Gaea's forces on the mortal side, at the House of Hades. But unless you had a team fighting simultaneously on the Tartarus side, a team powerful enough to defeat a legion of monsters in their home territory—"

"There has to be a way," Jason said.

"If we had the Romans on our side…maybe," Riss offered tentatively. "Uh, look." The entire ship was descending toward a big building like a palace.

 _Annabeth_. Nico's news was so horrible Percy had momentarily forgotten she was still in danger, which made him feel incredibly guilty.

"We'll figure out the Tartarus problem later," he said. "Is that the Emmanuel Building?"

Leo nodded. "Bacchus said something about the parking lot in back? Well, there it is. What now?"

Percy remembered his dream of the dark chamber, the evil buzzing voice of the monster called Her Ladyship. He remembered how shaken Annabeth had looked when she'd come back from Fort Sumter after her encounter with the spiders. Percy had begun to suspect what might be down in that shrine…literally, the mother of all spiders. If he was right, and Annabeth had been trapped down there alone with that creature for hours, her leg broken…At this point, he didn't care if her quest was supposed to be solo or not.

"We have to get her out," Riss said adamantly, eyes fixed on the building.

"Well, yeah," Leo agreed. "But, uh…" He looked like he wanted to say, _what if we're too late_? Wisely, prompted by the look Riss was giving him, he changed tack. "There's a parking lot in the way."

Percy looked at Coach Hedge. "Bacchus said something about _breaking through_. Coach, you still have ammo for those ballistae?"

The satyr grinned like a wild goat. "I thought you'd never ask."

Riss pressed her fingers into her temples. "This is _such_ a bad idea." She could already feel the weariness setting into her body—the deep ache in her bones and burning pressure in her muscles that warned her _soon_.

 **XXXXX**

"It's almost time."

"I know."

 **XXXXX**

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 **The next chapter is the last chapter of _Mediterranean_. I warn you now: I teared up a little writing it.**

 **PLEASE REVIEW FOR THE NEXT, AND FINAL, CHAPTER!**

 **~ Raven**


	16. PI

**_PI | SO I SAY, THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC (A.K.A PLEASE SAY YOUR GOODBYES)_**

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 **Disclaimer: I do not own the** ** _Heroes of Olympus_** **series or any of the characters. I only own the character Nerissa Jackson and her original plot lines and dialogue.**

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 **THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED TO** ** _yasminasfeir1_** **,** ** _Brozekey3215_** **,** ** _Unknown_** **,** ** _NicoleR85_** **,** ** _One Smart Waffle_** **AND** ** _Cari._** **THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO FOLLOWED, FAVORITED AND REVIEWED THIS STORY! IT MEANT SO MUCH TO ME TO HEAR HOW YOU ALL ENJOYED THIS STORY AS MUCH AS I LOVED WRITING IT!**

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 _ **WARNING: MENTIONS OF DEATH**_

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He let out a shuddered breath and smoothed back his dark brown hair. Guardian, now that was an odd new title. Normally it was just 'trouble' or 'pain in my backside.' He'd never been trusted with anything bigger than a goldfish, let alone a person.

Probably wasn't a good time to bring up that he had killed the goldfish too.

He slid his jacket on, adjusting the crossbow over his back. "No freaking out," he chided himself aloud. He didn't think about how nuts he must had looked, talking to himself while he checked his reflection in a shield. "You're going to be fine. You won't kill her."

"You better not."

He let out a rather unmanly squeal as the queen of the gods appeared behind him. He tried to cover it up with a cough, "Uh…Lady Hera, I just meant—"

Hera raised a hand, "I don't want to hear it. Believe me, I am _less_ than positive when it comes down to the thought of you looking after her but you will have to do. It's almost time… _don't_ disappoint me."

"I won't, ma'am," he promised and she could hear the sincerity in his voice. He really didn't want to let anyone down—let alone a new goddess he had been assigned to train. He hadn't been out of the Underworld in _centuries_ and Zeus, _himself_ , had picked him, of all people, to bring back to the living for this extremely important task.

He wasn't going to disappoint.

 **XXXXX**

Riss had never felt more relieved than when she caught a glimpse of Annabeth's blonde head and she was glad that when Annabeth had once come up to her, asking, "should I dye my hair a different color?" that she had immediately screamed "No!" and spun into a tangent about how beautiful her blonde hair was.

How that had anything to do with the current moment, Riss had no idea but she supposed it was just immense relief making her think of all the good times she had had with the crew of the _Argo II_.

"Annabeth!"

"Annie!"

"Here!" Riss heard Annabeth sob in response.

All the terror seemed to leave her in one massive yelp. As the _Argo II_ descended, she saw Percy leaning over the rail. His smile was better than any tapestry she'd ever seen.

Percy didn't waste time getting down to Annabeth, moving faster down the rope ladder than Riss had ever seen him. Riss watched Percy embrace a shaky Annabeth and her heart broke a little as the always-strong Annabeth Chase collapsed into her boyfriend's chest, sobbing.

"It's okay," Percy said. "We're together."

He didn't say _you're okay_ , or _we're alive_. After all they'd been through over the last year, he knew the most important thing was that they were together. She loved him for saying that. Riss grinned fondly at the pair and, despite wanting to hug Annabeth herself, she knew that the daughter of Athena didn't want Percy to let go of her.

Their friends gathered around them. Nico di Angelo was there, but Annabeth's thoughts were so fuzzy, this didn't seem surprising to her. It seemed only right that he would be with them.

"Your leg." Piper knelt next to her and examined the Bubble Wrap cast. "Oh, Annabeth, what _happened_?"

She started to explain. Talking was difficult, but as she went along, her words came more easily. Percy didn't let go of her hand, which also made her feel more confident. When she finished, her friends' faces were slack with amazement.

"Gods of Olympus," Jason said. "You did all that alone. With a broken ankle."

"Well… _some_ of it with a broken ankle."

Percy grinned. "You made Arachne weave her own trap? I knew you were good, but Holy Hera—Annabeth, you _did_ it. You found the Athena Parthenos!"

"Don't you dare downplay it," Riss said, mock-sternness in her voice. "You succeeded where _generations_ of your siblings tried and _failed_! You're amazing, wise girl."

Everyone gazed at the statue and Annabeth let a tiny bit of pride flow through her at her boyfriend's and best friend's words.

"What do we do with her?" Frank asked. "She's huge."

"Hey," Riss smirked, "that's a statue of Annie's mother you're talking about. I'm sure she can't do anything about her weight."

"We'll have to take her with us to Greece," Annabeth said, repressing a snicker at Riss' words. How she hadn't been _disintegrated_ yet, Annabeth had no idea. "The statue is powerful. Something about it will help us stop the giants."

" _The giants' bane stands gold and pale_ ," Hazel quoted. " _Won with pain from a woven jail_." She looked at Annabeth with admiration. "It was Arachne's jail. You tricked her into weaving it."

Leo raised his hands. He made a finger picture frame around the Athena Parthenos like he was taking measurements. "Well, it might take some rearranging, but I think we can fit her through the bay doors in the stable. If she sticks out the end, I might have to wrap a flag around her feet or something."

Annabeth shuddered. She imagined the Athena Parthenos jutting from their trireme with a sign across her pedestal that read: WIDE LOAD.

Then she thought about the other lines of the prophecy: _The twins snuff out the angel's breath, who hold the key to endless death_.

"What about you guys?" she asked. "What happened with the giants?"

"We came, we saw, we conquered." Riss shrugged, "And Bacchus helped too."

Percy told her about rescuing Nico, the appearance of Bacchus, and the fight with the twins in the Colosseum. Nico didn't say much. The poor guy looked like he'd been wandering through a wasteland for six weeks. Percy explained what Nico had found out about the Doors of Death, and how they had to be closed on both sides. Even with sunlight streaming in from above, Percy's news made the cavern seem dark again.

"So the mortal side is in Epirus," she said. "At least that's somewhere we can reach."

Nico grimaced. "But the other side is the problem. Tartarus."

The word seemed to echo through the chamber. The pit behind them exhaled a cold blast of air. That's when Annabeth knew with certainty. The chasm _did_ go straight to the Underworld.

Percy must have felt it too. He guided her a little farther from the edge. Her arms and legs trailed spider silk like a bridal train. She wished she had her dagger to cut that junk off. She almost asked Percy to do the honors with Riptide, but before she could, he said, "Bacchus mentioned something about _my_ voyage being harder than I expected. And he mentioned a deal that Riss made. Not sure why—"

The chamber groaned. The Athena Parthenos tilted to one side. Its head caught on one of Arachne's support cables but the marble foundation under the pedestal was crumbling. Nausea swelled in Annabeth's chest. If the statue fell into the chasm, all her work would be for nothing. Their quest would fail.

"Secure it!" Annabeth cried.

Her friends understood immediately.

"Zhang!" Leo cried. "Get me to the helm, quick! The coach is up there alone."

Frank transformed into a giant eagle, and the two of them soared toward the ship.

Riss turned to Jason, "Can you take Piper?"

Jason wrapped his arm around Piper. He turned to Percy. "Back for you guys in a sec." He summoned the wind and shot into the air.

"This floor won't last!" Hazel warned. "The rest of us should get to the ladder."

Plumes of dust and cobwebs blasted from holes in the floor. The spider's silk support cables trembled like massive guitar strings and began to snap. Hazel lunged for the bottom of the rope ladder and gestured for Nico to follow, but Nico was in no condition to sprint.

Riss turned to her brother and best friend and they could see the tears in her eyes. "Stay strong. Stay _safe_. And remember, I _love_ you both."

Percy gripped Annabeth's hand tighter. "It'll be fine," he muttered, trying to reassure himself that his twin was just overreacting and that something bad wasn't about to happen. Riss bent her knees and suddenly she was jumping, propelling herself up onto the deck of the _Argo II_ with hardly any trouble.

Still gaping after Riss, Annabeth saw grappling lines shoot from the _Argo II_ and wrap around the statue. One lassoed Athena's neck like a noose. Leo shouted orders from the helm as Jason and Frank flew frantically from line to line, trying to secure them.

Nico had just reached the ladder when a sharp pain shot up Annabeth's bad leg. She gasped and stumbled.

"What is it?" Percy asked.

She tried to stagger toward the ladder. Why was she moving backward instead? Her legs swept out from under her and she fell on her face.

"Her ankle!" Hazel shouted from the ladder. "Cut it! Cut it!"

Annabeth's mind was woolly from the pain. Cut her ankle?

Apparently Percy didn't realize what Hazel meant either. Then something yanked Annabeth backward and dragged her toward the pit. Percy lunged. He grabbed her arm, but the momentum carried him along as well.

"Help them!" Hazel yelled.

Annabeth glimpsed Nico hobbling in their direction, Hazel trying to disentangle her cavalry sword from the rope ladder. Their other friends were still focused on the statue, and Hazel's cry was lost in the general shouting and the rumbling of the cavern.

Riss was on the deck, collapsed against the side and gasping like she couldn't breathe. Her vision was getting spotty and she could feel a hot liquid dripping from her nose. She could hear screaming, Hazel yelling for help specifically, and she staggered to her feet, just in time to see Percy and Annabeth fall. Well, really, Percy had just _let go_ of the only thing keeping them up, the ledge crumbling. Riss felt like throwing up, that heady, nauseating feeling settled deep in her stomach as she watched Annabeth and Percy hurtle into Tartarus. They became specks within seconds as Riss stood in shocked silence—the deal. The promise made by Zeus—her in return for the lives of the entire crew of the _Argo II_.

" _NO!_ " Riss screamed once she had got her breath back, once she had finally understood what the Hades had just happened. The _Argo II_ gave a deep, creaking rumble as the daughter of Poseidon smashed her closed fists down onto the railing. She tilted her head up to the sky as it gave a deep rumble, as if the god that she was screaming at was angry or insulted. "You _promised_! You _promised_ me!"

Apparently Zeus wasn't happy with that. Riss felt pain shoot through her; it felt like a thousand nails were being pushed the joints of her body, robbing her of her balance and strength. She panted, trying to keep herself upright and she noticed how her triton tattoo was glowing. That, and how words were becoming etched into her wrist, round and round.

Riss' knees crumpled beneath her, her head hitting the deck as she was no longer strong enough to stay standing. She saw feet running towards her, a dull throbbing in her head as the footsteps grew louder. Then she was being hauled into someone's— _Jason's_ —warm arms. Arms that made her feel safe and unafraid. Piper was in front of her suddenly, eyes wide in terror as she shouted something that Riss couldn't hear.

Her hearing was going in and out but she caught 'ambrosia' and 'stay with us.' She felt like her head was full of cotton wool balls, all compacted together and slowing her brain's functions, as her pale eyes followed Piper running to grab the first aid kit that Leo kept in the dining room. As her hearing began to come back, she shook her head sadly at Piper, a resigned look on her face, as the girl dropped back beside her.

Leo, Hedge and Frank, still struggling with the statue, didn't turn but Hazel and Nico wandered over to the group, brows creased in confusion at the sight of Riss on the deck. And then that feeling—that 'death is near' feeling—washed over them and they understood.

"That's not going to work," Nico said mournfully, eyes locked on Riss. She smiled at him, despite her current situation, and he sat beside her. Carefully, as if she would break, he took her hand and ran his thumb over her knuckles.

"What do you mean _it's not going to work_?" Jason demanded as he almost shoved the ambrosia down his girlfriend's throat. He turned his eyes on Nico and the younger boy shivered at how the calm blue had become chips of ice. "It has to!"

Hazel bit her lip. "Nico's right. Riss is dying. It's too late to heal her."

Jason and Piper froze. Frank and Leo hurried over, hearing the word 'dying,' and left Hedge with the statue. Leo dropped to sit beside Jason as Frank wrapped a burly arm around Hazel's shoulders.

"It's okay," Riss smiled again. She sounded oddly calm— _too_ calm and Jason clutched her tighter to him. "I've been dying for a while now…it's just taken some time to kick in."

Piper let out a watery chuckle and Riss watched the tears flow down her face with interest. The Jackson girl was strangely detached, just watching, waiting until it was her time and then she would just gone.

"Isn't there something we can do?" Leo asked helplessly. He couldn't lose the girl who was like a sister to him and Riss reached out to affectionately flick his nose, before falling limp back into Jason's arms.

"Nothing, my little Latino elf." Riss shook her head, "This'll teach you to make deals with gods. Never thought that my death would be so goddamn _anticlimactic_."

Jason looked sick. "My…my f—f—"

The daughter of Poseidon nodded softly and laced her weak fingers with Jason's. "This…this is my path. I'm just glad I get to say goodbye and that Zeus didn't just zap me where I stood." She licked her lips, thinking about how to phrase what she was about to say right. "There's something _different_ with me, something that Gaea can use. So I'm going to stop from getting it. _I'm okay_. I made the deal, knowing what I was going into."

"I can't lose—"

Riss laughed wetly, tears gathering in her eyes as she nuzzled her nose into Jason's neck, "You won't! I'm right here, I'm _right_ _here_."

"But you won't always be. You're leaving me."

"Were you ever really mine?" Riss' sudden, off-track question made everyone freeze.

Piper frowned, asking the question for Jason, who looked stunned, "What are you saying, Riss?"

"I keep dying. In Manhattan, in the lake at Camp Half-Blood, in the Wolf House. I'm…I'm not _right_ for this world and I think Hera bound Jason to me to keep me safe from Gaea." Riss sighed sadly, "She had no right to do that, to influence him. He could've been happy, with you Pipes."

Piper shook her head adamantly, "I've _never_ seen something as pure as the two of you. Believe me; daughter of Aphrodite, I know."

"No…" Jason voice cracked before he said firmly, pure conviction in his voice as he finally said the three words, "I _love_ you, Nerissa Jackson. _I love you_. Hera couldn't have just _made_ me feel that way."

"She made you forget."

"That's different."

"Is it?" Riss smiled faintly, reaching up to put her hand to Jason's cheek, "Gods and goddesses are capable of multiple miracles and the _greatest_ tragedies. They're cruel and beautiful all at the same time."

Nico brought Riss' hand to his lips, kissing over her knuckles tenderly. She turned her soft gaze on him and he was rocketed back to the first time they had met, when Nerissa Jackson was devastatingly terrifying and beautiful and made jokes with him and begged him to teach her how to play the Greek gods game that he had been obsessed with at the time. She had offered him a comfort and he was desperate to return that. "Do you want me to take you?"

The green-eyed girl shook her head, "No. Thank you, Nico but your father is going to look after me."

Hazel and Nico held their breaths as Riss began to breathe more slowly, her heart beating slower in her chest. She looked more relaxed; calm as she laid there, in her boyfriend's arms, surrounded by her family and her eyes gentle and her hair splayed out, making her look ethereal.

"I love you all, you're my family. The only family I'll ever need. When you find them, tell Percy and Annie I love them too."

Riss looked up, eyelashes fluttering at Jason as she fought to keep her eyes open. His mouth was pressed into a thin line, his eyes swimming with pain. Riss reached up, pressing a kiss to his cheek, then the corner of his lips and then his lips. Jason sobbed into her mouth, his hands tightening on Riss' body, almost bruising her skin as he lips slanted against hers and he was lost in the world of comfort and love that Riss Jackson just _was_.

"I love you," Riss said, so sweetly, so purely and Jason felt his heart shatter and mend a little bit in his chest at the same time. They hadn't wanted to say the words until they were sure, until they weren't about to die, but Riss had been thinking them a lot. She most often thought the words when she was lying beside Jason in bed, his body close to hers and his heart thumping beneath her hand, when she was reminded that he was _there_ and so was she. "Always have, always will."

"I love you," Jason repeated—brokenly, reverently—and rocked Riss as he tangled his fingers with hers. He was trying to memorize her—how she smelt of the sea breeze; how her touch made his skin spark and tingle, even if she was just tracing his tattoo; how she could walk into a room and make Jason smile like the goofy, love-struck teenager he was, free of the constraints of a destiny and countless prophecies.

How, when they were tangled together in bed, sleeping or just talking, that she was the single, most important thing in the world to him and that she accepted him, _every_ part of him, without any words other than 'I adore you.'

Nerissa Jackson lifted the weight of the world off all of their shoulders, even just for a moment, and they would never forget it.

She looked up, staring at the sun with a dreamy smile on her face, like she had never truly seen the sun before. "Do you know the funny thing about destiny? If something is meant to be with you, it _will_ be. You just have to have faith."

They were silent for a few moments, the entire group just mulling over Riss' words and trying to stop themselves from crying. Riss smiled again, closing her eyes as the sun danced across her features.

"I'll see you all soon," she promised. "I love you."

And then Riss gently blew out a breath before she fell completely limp in Jason's arms.

Nico gently untangled his hand from hers, placing her hand over her stomach. The son of Hades' fingers stretched out, his pinkie looping with hers, "You better keep that promise, Riss. You've never broken one to me before."

Hazel sobbed, tucking her face into Frank's chest and he cradled her, his chin on her head as he fought off tears of his own. For once, Leo wasn't moving, wasn't fiddling in anyway, and he was almost catatonic as he stared at Riss' body. Piper let out a low cry into her hands and she shook her head, refusing to believe that her friend, who had defended her and taught her so many things, was gone. Leo wordlessly put his arm around Piper, seeking comfort in each other.

Jason didn't let go of her—he couldn't bring himself to and he knew, that if he had the choice, he wouldn't ever let go of her. He believed he could hold her tight, fool himself into believing that she still breathed, still laughed, and still told him that she adored him with that adorable smile on her face.

He believed all of that until Riss turned to gold.

Her body shimmered and it elegantly shifted, becoming gold dust. It blew away softly in the wind and they could all smell the salty quality that clung to the air. Poseidon was saying goodbye.

Jason clutched as much as he could to the gold before it flew away and left him grasping nothing. He felt the breeze, the sea breeze that reminded him painfully of Riss, pass by his face, like a hand that offered condolences.

"Tell me that didn't happen," Leo begged quietly, his voice pained as he finally spoke. He felt like he was gargling glass shards and his arms tightened around Piper's shaking form. "Tell me that we didn't just lose Percy and Annabeth. Tell me that Riss did not just die, turn to gold and blow away in the wind."

No one said a word and Jason's trembling lips parted. He sucked in a shaky, ragged breath and that was all it took for him to be crying, pulling his knees tight to his chest as sobs racked his body.

"It happened," Coach Hedge confirmed. His voice was unusually gruff, strangely tight as he stood behind Jason. Jason felt rough hands grip his shoulders, a virtually useless act of comfort on the satyr's part but the Grace boy knew that Hedge was just as shocked as the rest of them. Nerissa had just _died_ …no injuries sustained from battle, no blood pouring from her body, and no epic, tear-filled speeches.

Just one—a simple statement about destiny.

None of the demigods believed in destiny, not when destiny had just taken Nerissa Jackson from them.

 **XXXXX**

"Sally?"

Sally Jackson snapped her head up, seeing Poseidon standing in her doorway. She hadn't heard the door open but she immediately put her wine glass down. A god was present, her date was on pause for now. Paul gave a start, jumping off the couch.

He was about to question who this odd man was, in his Hawaiian shirt and sandals and then he saw the resemblance—it was like staring at an older version of Percy. The same eyes, same hair, same build, they even shared the same nose. He could see that Riss got her dimples from Poseidon too but only when he spoke because he wasn't smiling now.

He probably wouldn't for very long while. His baby girl, his sweet one, was dead.

The second she saw him, Sally knew it wasn't a social call. The sound of her name had made her smile, immediately and instinctively, but he looked drained and empty. Poseidon's hair was graying, his eyes no longer the colour of the sea and bordered more on brown.

"What…" Sally's voice cracked and she was walking until she was a foot away from her former lover. He had that look, the look that Sally had sworn to herself that she would _never_ let anyone give her again. Not after the deaths of her parents and her uncle. " _Poseidon_ , what's happened?"

A tear fell down the god's cheek, and then another. Paul was startled by the distinctly human reaction but Sally was moaning in pain, arms looped around herself, as soon as the tears filled his eyes.

"No. No. _No_." Her hands shot out to cup Poseidon's cheeks, staring into his blank eyes, " _Not one of my babies_."

Poseidon pulled Sally into his chest, the woman slumping against him in dread. "I'm sorry. I'm so, _so_ sorry. _She's_ gone."

And then Sally was screaming, anger overwhelming the heartbreak, and she hit him everywhere she could. _Her baby, her little girl—_! Her fists collided with Poseidon's chest, over and over, and he didn't stop her. He didn't stop her as he winced in slight pain or when her punches got weak. He just let her mourn and blame him for breaking the one promise he had always made her.

 _Riss and Percy would be protected by their father, always_. Poseidon knew he had failed—he'd failed his twins, he'd failed Triton and Tyson and he had failed Sally.

The anger faded to devastation, as quickly as flipping a switch, and Sally was back in Poseidon's arms, full-body sobs shaking her thin frame. Silently, Paul slipped from the room, allowing them to be alone as they both mourned the loss of their daughter.

 **XXXXX**

"Are you ready?"

"Not really." She licked her lips, "I suppose I have to be, don't I?"

Hera smiled softly. She tried to keep the sadness off her face as she watched her, the new goddess, take in her surroundings. She was pure in a sense—untainted by the world and all the pain that came with immortality. She was sad too, devastated really; she'd just been torn away from everything she had known, after all.

To become a pawn for the gods.

Her voice hardened slightly and she stared into Hera's eyes, demanding an answer, " _Don't I_?"

"Yes, _Pacalis_ , you do."

 **XXXXX**

* * *

 **THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO READ _ATLANTIC_ AND _MEDITERRANEAN_ AS WELL! I HAD A BLAST WRITING THIS STORY AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR YOU TO READ THE NEXT, AND LAST, BOOK IN THE SERIES: _PACIFIC_!**

 **I'm sorry that I killed Riss off, I really am, but I hope you continue reading.**

 **Review, pretty please! If I get TWENTY REVIEWS from you wonderful readers explaining what you liked best about this story, I'll post the first chapter of _Pacific_!**

 **Lots of love!**

 **~ Raven**


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